Last Heir
by kuro-yumi
Summary: SEQUEL TO BLOOD HEIR. WWIII is on the horizon. The magic world knows about the living Crowley. Celeste has separated from Accelerator, both pawns moving on Aleister Crowley's chessboard. It is up to fate whether the two can get back together, and survive the implementation of Aleister's plan. Part 3/3
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Final story of the series. Just a warning, but Accelerator won't be appearing for a few chapters. Not until the war ends, at least, and that won't last long. A twelve day war... hah. Don't worry, though. After the war, the... _fun_ starts.

* * *

Celeste stopped short, raising her eyebrow at the blonde boy standing in front of her, blocking her path. She had seen him before, but never felt like finding out his name. Now where… Ah. GROUP. She had seen him with Accelerator during one of his GROUP missions.

"Celeste Crowley?" The boy asked, but it sounded less like a question than a statement. And his tone was hostile, dripping poison.

"What does GROUP want with me?" Celeste backed away one step, knees bent, ready to run.

"Nothing. It's… personal," the boy said lightly.

She narrowed her eyes. He had a smile on his face and his tone seemed friendly now, but she couldn't see his eyes behind the sunglasses. And she would bet that he was glaring at her, his easy demeanour not at all reflected in his eyes.

"Isn't it always?" Celeste asked pleasantly.

He remained silent, and his smile tightened as his eyes travelled over her features, studying her. It was obvious what she was doing. The question was… why? If she actually knew what the name Crowley meant… Or was she simply…

"You're running away," the blonde said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Celeste cocked her head. "Not quite. But close enough."

"Hm," his smile disappeared. "What's your name?"

"Celeste Crowley."

"Your _real_ name," he growled.

"It's polite to introduce yourself first," she pointed out mildly.

Celeste's eyes flicked to the side, searching, calculating the best chances of escape. She didn't want to deal with an esper, especially not a GROUP member. The organizations in the dark side of Academy City tended to be harrowing to deal with, and none of them were so weak that she could simply flick them off.

"Tsuchimikado Motoharu. I would say it's nice to meet you, but it isn't. Not when you've caused so much trouble," he said.

Contrary to his expectations, she relaxed, hands going into her pockets. She gave a small sigh and began walking, exasperated and relieved at the same time. Tsuchimikado stood motionless, simply watching her pass with his eyes. And the moment she stepped past him, his leg swung out, aiming to connect with the back of her head…

She disappeared. His eyes widened briefly and he looked around, only to feel cold metal at his throat.

"Tsuchimikado Motoharu. You really shouldn't do something like that. It's rude, and haven't you heard that it's impolite to hit a lady?" She murmured in his ear.

"Ladies don't carry knives around," he retorted stiffly. "And I have no qualms about attacking someone who poses a threat."

"Threat… I pose no threat to you," she said.

"Crowley," Tsuchimikado growled. "Did you take that name knowing what it meant?"

"Yes. Of course," she said, starting to understand where he was going with this. "But I have every right to use the name."

"Hah! Why? It sounded cool? It seemed powerful?" Tsuchimikado mocked, his body tense against hers. "You didn't think there would be repercussions?"

She pressed the sharp edge of the knife against his throat, indenting the pale skin, but not quite drawing blood. Not yet, at least. Celeste didn't like what the boy was insinuating, but she could understand where he was coming from.

"Aleister Crowley," she said softly, causing the boy to stiffen further. "I know perfectly well what the name means. And I know you are a magician who is no longer able to use magic, and a magician who cannot use ESP. I am a both a magician and a level five reality warping esper. What can you do against me?"

Tsuchimikado frowned, hesitating. "So you're the real deal. You're a real Crowley."

She released him as an answer. He took a few steps back to study her. She _did_ look like Aleister, or at least like the man in the tube. Exactly like a female version of him, a few years younger. He sighed. He thought Aleister Crowley had no descendants. Either they were well hidden from the world, or she was his clone.

"I am no clone," she said lightly, as if reading his mind. He jolted, surprised that she knew what he was thinking. "And if he hadn't told me you already know about his existence, I would have killed you the moment you indicated you knew what 'Crowley' means."

Tsuchimikado nodded, relaxing slightly now that she didn't seem to want to threaten him anymore.

"And other than myself and Aleister, there are no more Crowley's left in existence. I killed them all," she said, as if talking about the weather.

Tsuchimikado raised an eyebrow, but nodded again.

Celeste studied him. He was going to kill her if she had been a fake. But now that he knew she was real, what was he going to do? Leave her alone? Unlikely. After all, real or fake, she had exposed a living Crowley name to the world. It meant Academy City would be attacked. Aleister Crowley would be in danger.

But that shouldn't mean much to the boy. He was a member of GROUP, an organization who was planning to rebel against Academy City. And he was a magician, a group of people who despised Aleister Crowley. It meant much more to her, for Aleister was her 'brother', and Academy City was the place Accelerator resided.

"So what are you planning?" Tsuchimikado asked.

"Nothing. I am only acting on Aleister's orders."

"A pawn," Tsuchimikado said flatly.

Celeste smiled, showing a little too many teeth. "Did you know? Aleister's chessboard is a little unorthodox. He has two kings and two queens, in the sense that queens are still his pieces but they move on their own as well. Kings follow his orders completely, with restricted freedom."

Tsuchimikado furrowed his brows, remaining silent for a moment. "Accelerator and Touma are the queens."

"And Kakine and I are the kings," she finished, nodding. He wasn't an idiot. Good.

"What are your orders?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"I'm going to watch you."

"Even more of a reason to remain silent."

"And if I offer to help?"

Celeste laughed. "You? Help me? How."

Tsuchimikado shrugged, grinning, baring his incisors. "I have information."

He let her interpret that however she wanted. She cocked her head at him. Aleister had said she could look to Tsuchimikado for help, but he also said the boy was 'difficult'. She understood what he meant now. Tsuchimikado was trustworthy, but at the same time he wasn't.

"What is your magic name?" She inquired.

The blonde cocked his head in an action mirroring hers, a brow shooting into his fringe. "You have a habit of changing the topic."

"Just seeing if you're trustworthy, of course. A magic name tells you a lot about a person."

"True," he nodded. The girl was a true magician after all. "Fallere. I won't tell you the number, since it has nothing to do with it. Yours?"

" 'Play'. Interesting. You're a trickster. A liar. Someone I shouldn't trust, shouldn't turn my back on," Celeste noted. "Yet if something is interesting, or if you truly care about something, you will play the rest of the world to protect it. Selfish, yet selfless. You're full of contradictions, and so many lies that even you may not know truth from falsehood."

Tsuchimikado shuddered at the accuracy of her interpretation. Even though all magicians knew the implications of a magic name, none really took the time to think about what another magician's name meant. Not even him.

"Well, I suppose it is fair. I will also leave out the number, as I don't intend to fight. Heredis."

Tsuchimikado couldn't help himself. He laughed. Heredis. Heir. How fitting, for the last Crowley. He smirked.

 _"Interesting_ ," he said, and meant it. "I will come with you. Call me Motoharu, or shorten it if you want."

"And you can call me Celeste or Titania, or a nickname if you want," then her playful tone hardened. "Just know that if you betray me, harm Aleister or Accelerator, or do anything to get in my way, _I will kill you_."

His fists clenched in his pockets. The girl was deadly serious. So she did suit Accelerator after all. But the smirk on his face never faltered. No. The excitement within him only grew.


	2. Chapter 2

Majin Othinus, thanks for the fave!

ReadingLurking: Thanks. That means a lot to me. I try to write what I like to see in fanfics, so to hear that I've actually achieved a balance that readers like is great. I hope you continue to 'lurk' and enjoy!

* * *

With the pleasantries and the threats out of the way, the partners took off, finally setting foot outside Academy City. The two walked in comfortable silence for a long while, the boy watching the girl, and the girl paying him no attention.

The more he observed her, the more she seemed like Aleister Crowley. It wasn't just her looks. Her relaxed demeanour contrasted the sharp mind he now knew lay under her skull. He didn't doubt she was ruthless either, from the easy way she spoke of killing him, and her ability to handle dating _Accelerator_ of all people.

And the way she read him was both frightening and creepy.

Tsuchimikado still felt like he had a million questions for her. Who was she? What was her relationship to Aleister? How did she know Aleister? How did she meet Accelerator? What was her stance with regards to magic and science? Whose side was she on? Why was she so willing to kill those who knew about Aleister?

And most of all, _why could she use both ESP and magic_?

Instead, he asked the most pertinent questions to the moment, "Where are we going, and what for?"

She remained silent for a moment, pensive.

"I already swore not to betray you or Aleister, didn't I?" Tsuchimikado persisted.

"We are going to find a way to summon Lucifer, and connect him to this world so Aleister can use it whenever he needs to," she answered.

Tsuchimikado halted in his tracks, shocked. "You… You're _serious_?!"

She paused, turning to raise an eyebrow at him. "Very."

"How?" Tsuchimikado spat out.

"I will be Lucifer's core."

"Are you _insane_?!" Tsuchimikado half shouted. "You're an _esper_! To deal with magic of that level… You'll die! Your body will be ripped apart!"

She nodded. "That is a possibility."

He gaped, sunglasses askew. "A-and Accelerator?"

"What about Accelerator?" Celeste asked, frowning. "He doesn't know about this."

"Oi, that guy doesn't have any friends. He doesn't have anybody that cares about him, the insane, deranged, psychopathic murderous maniac that he is."

"Hey!"

"And if _you_ die, what do you think will happen to that guy?" Tsuchimikado continued, ignoring the interruption.

"He…" Celeste hesitated, biting her lip, before meeting his gaze. "He'll get over it, someday. He's strong. He'll survive."

"That's not the point!" Tsuchimikado snarled.

He didn't care about Accelerator. He never did. But when hearing the girl speak so casually about dying, about leaving behind the people who cared about her, he couldn't help but feel anger rise up. If it was him, if his little sister went and died, he would react badly. He would probably try to destroy everything.

He knew that Accelerator would as well. And unlike him, Accelerator actually had the ability to destroy everything.

"I'm not going to die," she said quietly. "Not if I can help it."

"You're insane," Tsuchimikado said flatly.

"I've heard that before," Celeste agreed. "So now that you know what I'm doing, what are you going to do? Help me? Or leave?"

The blonde studied her for a moment, and sighed. "Help, of course. But if Accelerator finds out that I've helped you die, he's going to kill me slowly and painfully."

Celeste laughed.

"Do you know where to start?" Tsuchimikado asked, curious.

"There's a grimoire."

"Index?" Tsuchimikado stiffened.

"No. An actual book," Celeste said, almost amused as she showed him a toothy grin. "And we're going to one of the places you're affiliated with."

His heart dropped. "The Church of Necessary Evil."

"Bingo."

It was suicide, he thought, feeling more depressed by the second. They were the sect of the Anglican Church that sealed Index's memories every year, the sect that used magic while the main church despised magic. They were protective about their secrets.

And they hated Aleister Crowley.

They were walking right into the snake's nest. Everybody knew Celeste Crowley was a surviving Crowley, and the Anglican Church, especially Necessarius, was furious about her existence. The moment she stepped foot into their territory, she was dead.

"If you can warp reality, why don't you just use ESP to get the book?" Tsuchimikado asked.

"Because there are magic wards, and my ability cannot get past that. I have to physically go and dispel the wards first. After that, well, I can help us both escape with my ability."

Tsuchimikado sighed. Physically going there also meant dealing with Stiyl, Kanzaki, Orsola, and a bunch of others. They were undoubtedly all going to be at the base, discussing their attack on Academy City, aiming for Celeste Crowley. And she was going straight to them. She was insane, he decided. She had lost all her screws and marbles, just like Accelerator.

"And exactly how far are we walking?" Tsuchimikado realized. "We're not walking all the way to Europe. It's physically and geographically impossible."

Celeste stopped, grinning cheekily at him. Tsuchimikado took an uncertain step backwards, dread rising from the pit of his stomach. She was going to do something. He just knew she was.

"You know a place we can hide while I regain my energy?" She asked. "In England, I mean. Preferably somewhere near St George's Cathedral."

He wasn't even surprised she knew where Necessarius was located. It was no great secret, but still not many people knew about its existence, much less its exact location. He told her.

"Grab hold of my hand," she said, and he had barely enough time to perform said action before she continued, " _We are at the doors of Lambeth Palace_."

It was a peculiar sensation. Something like all his cells twisting and distorting while being pulled apart, before snapping back like rubber to once again form the being that was Tsuchimikado Motoharu. He blinked once, and took in the sight before his eyes, hardly able to believe it. In mere seconds, he had been transported from Academy City, Japan to Lambeth, London.

It was unbelievable, even for someone who knew both the magic and science world, and had seen many things that a normal person would consider unbelievable.

Celeste stumbled, and Tsuchimikado reached out and caught her out of reflex. Her eyes were half closed, a soft sheen of sweat sitting on her skin as she panted. It must take a lot of energy, Tsuchimikado realized. And probably a lot of concentration too, to keep them both in one piece. If she had done something improperly or lost concentration, they would be lying in pieces, or stuck in between the fabrics of space and time.

"Come on," Tsuchimikado coaxed softly.

The girl blinked blearily. Travelling halfway across the world instantly did not do much for someone's energy levels. She nodded, weary, and simply allowed him to lead her into the palace. They had a little time to recover. The moment she did, they were going to infiltrate Necessarius.

And if he hadn't already made it clear enough, Tsuchimikado was _not_ looking forward to that.


	3. Chapter 3

Tsuchimikado glanced at the lying motionless on the cot. He would have thought she was dead, if not for the breathing and the faint shifts in position every once in a while. He contemplated waking her up, if only to see the news.

It was big.

And Aleister Crowley's pawns were all playing a role.

Celeste Crowley groaned and sat up, the faint voices of the television enough to keep her from falling back asleep. Through bleary eyes, she glared at the colourful screen, before the words reached her brain and she jolted fully awake, as if she had drank four jugs of coffee.

World War Three had begun, declared by Russia on Academy City. Celeste sighed and rubbed her eyes. Humans were idiots. This confirmed it. She hoped Accelerator was alright, that he wasn't getting himself tied into all that mess, but she had the niggling feeling that he was right in the center of everything. Like always.

She sighed again and stood up. Celeste didn't feel fully rested, but she knew her energy levels were at full power again, which meant it was time to go in. If a world war was going on, then it was imperative that she got her part of Aleister's orders done, so she could return to Academy City. And if necessary, help with the war.

Celeste didn't think that would be necessary, though. After all, Aleister had plenty of pawns, and the entire city full of espers to deal with the problem. Even Aiwass was available, if Aleister deemed it necessary to summon the AIM entity. Accelerator won't be happy if it came to that, of course, because it would further harm Last Order.

But Aleister had never cared about that, never cared about who and what he had to sacrifice.

"Let's go," she said curtly.

Switching off the television, Tsuchimikado stood without a word, and followed her out the door. Strange, he thought, that they were walking so boldly in broad daylight, heading towards St George's Cathedral. It was the enemy base, after all, and he would expect the girl to exercise some caution.

"Ne, you do know magic, right?" Celeste finally asked as the cathedral came into sight.

Tsuchimikado raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I'm an onmyouji. But after taking the courses in Academy City to become an esper…"

"Don't worry about that. I'll handle it. Just use magic freely for the time limit I state, okay? Before and after that, you'll feel the effects."

His brow twitched, questions on the tip of his tongue, but he bit down on the inside of his cheeks to resist his curiosity. He doubted that she would answer, anyways.

They snuck in, and the moment they rolled through the open window, they were met by a blast of coolness. The cathedral was dark and almost chilly, and suddenly a feeling of foreboding washed over Tsuchimikado. It was almost like entering this place was a death wish. He had never felt this way before, even when he was disobeying their orders and acting as a spy against them.

And suddenly he saw the reason.

Tsuchimikado felt his blood freeze, his body growing cold and stiff. While he had expected all of Necessarius' magicians to be there, he didn't expect all Church magicians to meet in the cathedral. He had no doubt that they were not only there to discuss the living Crowley, but also the war that now loomed over the horizon. He wanted to wonder why he hadn't been invited, but he knew the answer quite well. Even though he was a magician, he was also a spy, and for that purpose he had lost his ability to use magic. In other words, in this scenario, he was absolutely useless to the church.

Tsuchimikado caught sight of a flash of red, and a sword below white. Kanzaki and Stiyl. He would have groaned, if the sound wouldn't have given them away. So his suspicions were right. _All_ the lower ranking magicians were there, and by lower ranking he meant anybody who was not someone like Fiamma.

To go in before was insane. To go in now was suicide.

But it was too late. They were already inside, sneaking behind the magicians' backs, flitting behind objects and creeping through shadows. For a moment, Tsuchimikado wished his hair was black, and that he was wearing black clothing to blend in better. He glanced at Celeste. Her clothes were black, but pale skin and pale hair that threatened to shine under any bit of light that caught it were quite noticeable too.

Tsuchimikado found himself praying to all the Shinto, Buddhist, and Christian gods that they wouldn't be found out.

His prayers were answered. The two infiltrators practically melted through the door, and it was like a breath of relief to find no human, magician or otherwise, in the rest of the cathedral. They soon found themselves outside the library.

It wasn't locked.

Tsuchimikado stared, dumbfounded, as Celeste _easily_ pushed open the library door and crept inside. One would expect a library full of dangerous magic texts and precious books to be _guarded_ or _locked_ in some manner. Perhaps a barrier or ten, and some traps too. But no, nothing. She shut the door lightly behind them with nothing but a faint creak, and they had gotten through everything.

"Do you know what we're looking for?" Tsuchimikado whispered, afraid to raise his voice in case someone walked past the door.

She grinned. He found himself hating it when she smiled, because it never meant anything good. "The Grand Grimoire. Red Dragon."

" _Are you insane_?!" He hissed, feeling like it was the only line he had said lately.

Her grin only revealed more teeth. "Get to work."

This time he let himself groan as he rolled his eyes, before he started scanning the shelves. He could hear her hum lightly as she perused the books, examining each spine for the title that would give it away.

After six hours, he felt like his eyeballs were dried and about to fall out of its sockets, and his feet ached from walking around. The only comfort was that she was probably no better.

"Oh," Celeste said suddenly, voice filled with surprise. "It's a doily."

Tsuchimikado turned so fast that he nearly dislocated all the joints on his legs. " _What_?!"

"The Red Dragon. It's being used as a place mat, for people to put tea cups on it," Celeste repeated, voice amused.

He quickly walked over and glanced down. It was exactly what she said. The book sat, dusty and untouched, with a cup of evaporated tea sitting on top. He felt a sudden destructive urge to slam his head against the wall over and over. One of the most dangerous grimoires in the world, the only physical copy not in Index's brain, and it was used for teacups. He could just scream.

Tsuchimikado reached out to pick it up, to check if it were the real one, but before he could touch the book, Celeste's hand snatched his wrist.

"Don't. There's a lot of magic on it. If you touch it a whole bunch of magicians will attack us," she warned, eyeing the book with a look in her eyes that were the exact opposite of relaxed.

"So how are we going to get it?" Tsuchimikado asked, exasperated. "It is the real one, right?"

"Yes. It's real. Do you know how to undo seals and barriers?"

"Yeah. It's an onmyoudou specialty."

"Good," she grinned. "How long will it take?"

Tsuchimikado hesitated. "Five minutes. And the magicians will know immediately when their spells are broken."

Celeste paused, thinking for a moment. "I cannot use ESP while carrying the book. There's too much magic. We'll have to use magic to escape too."

"Fine. As long as you know some good spells, we can probably handle escaping," Tsuchimikado said. "As long as the whole bunch of them don't come in on us…"

Celeste laughed.

And he found that he _really_ hated her laugh too.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Interesting. I thought it would be difficult to write this final story because it's connected with the light novels while having its own plot, but I'm on a roll :)

Thanks to ShadowFire10, Subtility, and goddessofshadows7212 for the faves/follows.

* * *

" _Tsuchimikado Motoharu and I can use magic for thirty minutes_ ," Celeste said.

He felt a strange wave wash over him, then the tingling disappeared. He expected to feel _something_. Perhaps some divine sign that he could now use magic. But he felt no different. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well? Start!" She ordered, fluttering her hands at him, before settling back to watch.

Tsuchimikado really hoped that her ability worked, and he really could use magic. Otherwise undoing all the spells would _really_ hurt. Maybe even kill him. His lips twitched into a grimace as he turned back to the grimoire, studying the spells set on it. She was right. It was undoubtedly real, considering the strong magic radiating from the book itself, even under the many layers of barriers and protective spells.

"Fallere825," he murmured, and set to work.

It took exactly five minutes, just as he predicted. Tearing down so many spells took quite a bit of time and energy, and he had worked as quickly as he could. Therefore, he found himself in nearly the same state as Celeste had been when she transported them both to England, except with more energy remaining. He also doubted that he looked as much like a corpse as she had.

But still, he felt exhilarated at having been able to use _magic_ without feeling any of the consequences. He had grown used to pain and physical damage whenever he used a spell, even the simplest ones, and to be able to feel the tingling of power without such repercussions… Well, it was astounding, to say the least.

But the feeling of euphoria didn't last long.

All the spells on the book were gone, and he had used magic without consequences, but in return, a group of magicians were pounding on the locked library door.

Tsuchimikado groaned, grimoire in his hand, heart thudding in his chest. He did _not_ like this. Not at all.

She grinned.

He groaned once again.

And she kicked open the door, but not before grabbing his hand. Her hand was strangely warm. He had almost expected it to be icy cold, like a ghost or a corpse.

"Septu, warrior god, god of protection. I bow to thee. Let none touch us. Let all who try be destroyed by thy powers. I am Heredis000, defender, thou art our shield!" She shouted as she began shoving through the crowd.

He just _knew_ all the magicians in St George's Cathedral were there.

It was official. Celeste Crowley, Aleister Crowley, and anyone who associated with them for enough time was insane. To think that if he had never met her, if he hadn't decided to face her or to follow her, he could be sitting at home with his dear little sister, watching television and munching comfortably on snacks.

Instead he was running for his life through a crowd of murderous magicians, all of whom were shouting out their magic names.

"Apollo, I invoke thee, bend light and hide our image, let us appear as what we are not," Celeste said as she ran, dragging Tsuchimikado behind her. "Ye lord Kalki, destroyer of darkness and foulness, destroyer of ignorance. I seize the darkness of the Church and bring it to your hands. Let the white horse come forth, let them face your wrath!"

In spite of himself, Tsuchimikado found himself intrigued. He had never heard the incantations she used, never thought someone could use so many types of magic at once. But he could trust her, at least, as long as they were partners. He was depending on her to protect him, after all, just as she depended on him to get the book, even though he had the niggling feeling that she could have done fine on her own.

He watched as the magicians milled around in confusion, looking straight over their heads, looking straight through them. It was like they had become invisible. And then the screams began. Magic users around them clutched at their heads, doubled over with pain. Only few remained upright, confused. Amongst them were Kanzaki and Stiyl. Tsuchimikado couldn't help but smile. At least his friends weren't hurt.

And then he turned back towards Celeste, and concentrated on running.

It felt like a miracle when they escaped the cathedral, unscratched and not pursued. Tsuchimikado could not help glancing back at the doors as they slammed shut behind them, wondering how and why in the world they had managed to lose an entire church full of angry magicians.

Somehow, the teenage girl named Celeste Crowley, despite being the same age as him, seemed much more deadly than anyone he had ever met. And that included Accelerator and Laura Stewart, the archbishop. If she ever wanted to destroy the Church or destroy Academy City, she could probably do it, and with ease. He shuddered. He should be glad, then, that she cared about Accelerator and Aleister too much to go against the science side, and that she had no grudges against the magic side.

But she would obey Aleister if he told her to destroy the Church.

Was that why she was summoning Lucifer? No, she probably didn't know that much. Aleister used his pawns without divulging any more information than necessary, and even though she was closer to him than his other pawns, Tsuchimikado doubted that she knew everything.

"Are we safe?" Tsuchimikado finally asked, hesitant.

"Probably," Celeste replied, and stopped.

The two stood there for a moment, catching their breath, a faint sheen of sweat on their skins. And then Celeste held her hand out for the grimoire. Tsuchimikado eyed her from behind his sunglasses and hesitated. He only paused for a second. Although normal people wouldn't notice, she undoubtedly did. And she smiled wryly, curling her fingers in a gesture for him to hand it over immediately.

He didn't comment. He simply put the book in her hand. Her attention immediately turned away from him, focusing on the book she was flipping through. Tsuchimikado contemplated tearing the grimoire from her hand and running, but he wouldn't get far. Not from her, at least. He could still use magic—around eleven or twelve minutes remained of the thirty—but she could as well. And he had no doubt that she knew more spells than he did.

One of the perks of training under Aleister Crowley, one of the greatest magicians that ever lived.

For a moment, he wondered just how much magic she knew. She was a level five esper. The news that spread like wildfire around Academy City and the world told him that much. And she could warp reality on top of that, a rare one of a kind power. Did she stop learning magic when she became an esper? He doubted that. She knew too much to have done so. But to learn magic while being an esper… It was a risk. Yet, somehow she didn't seem like a person who would shy away from any risk. After all, she was stupid enough to be an esper who would use large, complex magic to summon Lucifer.

Celeste sighed. "Moonless night, large magic circle, yada yada yada."

Tsuchimikado raised an eyebrow, bemused. People would _kill_ to find out how to summon Lucifer, and here she was, treating it like the most mundane, troublesome thing. He supposed it would be, considering all the things you had to do to summon an angel-like being, whether it be an AIM entity or a fallen angel, or even one of the archangels.

And they had six days to prepare.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I'm pretty sure I messed up the canon material. No, I _know_ I messed it up, because I have no idea what's going on except through the wiki. I think I read that even before WWIII Accelerator had already been introduced to magic, but I'll just... ignore that.

Anyways, only a little more until the storyline goes back to Accelerator and Celeste. Just please don't kill me when you see what happens.

* * *

Accelerator smiled wryly. It seemed that the fight he and Celeste had with the Buddhists a while ago came in useful now. He lived in a world of science. A world of logic. If someone told him a year ago that there was real magic and magicians, rather than just petty street tricks, he would have sneered. But that was before.

Now? He still could hardly believe it. Yet, he had already seen magic before, had interacted with it. He just never knew it was magic.

No. That was a lie. He had an inkling that it was magic, since it was completely different from ESP. ESP never needed incantations, and normal people, other than naturals, could not use ESP unless they had taken the courses in Academy City. If he had never met her, never met Celeste, his head would be reeling right about then, and all because he was suddenly thrown into a world of magic.

Thank goodness he had learned long ago that his ability worked on magic, even though it worked differently than last time. He supposed it was the different types of magic. Buddhist magic was almost druidic, as far as he could tell, manipulating nature. He could deal with nature, reflect it, deflect it, anything. The mages he saw, on the other hand, used magic that he could only dissipate. It was a little disappointing, as he had to work a little harder and actually fight back instead of simply turning the attacks back onto his opponents, but it was better than nothing.

The world seemed to get complicated by the day. ESP, clones, AIM entities, angels, and magic. And a level zero boy with a right hand that could negate any supernatural ability who defeated Accelerator. Twice.

Despite Kamijou Touma telling him that his hero-villain ideals were unimportant, Accelerator couldn't help but think it was easy for him to say, as he had never been the villain.

No matter how much he tried, Accelerator would _never_ become like Kamijou Touma. That boy was born to be a hero, born with a personality and an ability that would let him save everything, save anyone. Accelerator was different. He could only destroy, and the only people he would ever have at his side were Last Order and Celeste, if he could even manage to protect them. He was doing a terrible job of that, by the way, and he knew it very well.

Tch. He couldn't even protect the two girls who meant the world to him, so who was he to talk about being a hero?

No, Accelerator knew he would never be a hero. But that didn't mean he always had to be a villain either.

He stared at the note left behind by Kamijou Touma, feeling strangely at peace after his loss. 'Look for index Librorum Prohibitorum and ask about the lambskin,' it said. Accelerator scoffed, rising painfully to his feet. He had already heard about Index from Aiwass. It was an unnecessary gesture from Kamijou, but appreciated, Accelerator supposed.

He grabbed the stabilized Last Order, temporarily fixed by Kamijou, and started walking. He still had to find a way to heal the brat.

* * *

It was strange, standing on his own two feet again, breathing the outside air and feeling the wind against his skin. For what felt like the longest time, he had seen nothing through his own eyes but the tube he lived in and the room he confined himself to, and the few people who visited him. Celeste was one of his few connections to the outside world after he had cut his ties with Heaven Canceller, and other than that, he only had screens and surveillance images.

To actually experience the world once again felt… nostalgic, perhaps. He found a part of him wishing he could live like this again, like a normal human. But another part of him considered this disgusting. The world was too tainted, too dirty. Perhaps it was something like taking a bath, not that he really remembered what that was like. If you soak in hot water on a cold day, it felt wonderful, but stay in too long and it starts to get irritating.

It also felt a little strange to stand the right side up, instead of hanging upside down like usual.

But at the moment, while a part of his mind marveled at the workings of gravity, he stared at the defeated Fiamma of the Right, now also missing a right arm thanks to yours truly.

"Aleister Crowley," Fiamma snarls, sounding not at all surprised to see the man alive and still young. "You actually came out of hiding."

"That is my name," Aleister said, almost flippantly. "And I do suppose this is not the time to continue protecting my identity."

"How are you here?"

Aleister supposed it was half curiosity and half vehemence that made Fiamma ask that question. Aleister was supposed to have died a long time ago, and the Church had even made sure of that, as well as seizing control of all his assets. It would sting to realize that he had slipped past their nets so easily.

"I used my life support devices to mechanically create my life force. That is the basis of magic, you see, and that is what allowed me to slip past all surveillance and probes," Aleister replied.

"That doesn't explain why you are here!"

Aleister cocked his head, the usual half smile sitting on his lips, as if he hadn't just severed someone's arm. "Is there something strange about my presence? I have surpassed the realm of being expressed as only zeroes and ones. But I suppose that concept is too difficult for one such as you to comprehend. Therefore, in simple terms, I now exist in two places at once—the Windowless Building, and before you. That means I am at a higher state of existence than even you, who considers yourself someone who holds the power necessary to save all of humanity."

Fiamma of the Right snarled wordlessly. Aleister found himself amused at the expression, so ugly on one who considered himself related to the divine. Fiamma was so strong, yet so weak. So _human_. Yet Aleister found himself unable to pity him. It was people like Fiamma who had caused Lilith's death, who caused so much pain and suffering. And it was people like Fiamma who were the reason why Aleister wanted to change the world so badly.

"Why?! Why can't I do it? I should have the power needed to save the world, like the Son of God!" Fiamma cried out, voice filled with poison and just a hint of despair.

"It is not the problem of one's type of power, or even the amount. The problem is how you _utilize_ the power," Aleister shook his head, and his eyes hardened. "I commend you for getting this far, but the age of Christianity ended the moment I completed the Book of Law. You would have gone further if you used the Aeon of Horus, like I did, rather than the Aeon of Osiris."

Fiamma stared at him for a moment and laughed, bitterly. "Is Aiwass such an attractive existence to you? You never wanted the Book of Law. You just want the angel that granted you the book!"

Aleister's lips pressed into a thin line, all traces of a smile vanishing from his face. "You have disrupted my plans by placing Kamijou Touma beyond my grasp, and have shown me that I can still feel anger. Even if you could not understand the value of Kamijou Touma's right hand, you should have just assumed that it was only a right hand that could negate supernatural powers. You forced my hand by angering me, by touching things beyond your understanding. A pity, really. If you had looked at it from a different viewpoint, you would have understood the true nature of that power."


	6. Chapter 6

Tsuchimikado watched with a raised eyebrow as Celeste hummed, painting a magic circle on the rocky ground. She was oddly cheerful for someone walking willingly to their certain death. He would have expected… He didn't know. Grim satisfaction or something, or even the pride of a martyr.

 _Seven minutes._

There were only moments left before the invisible moon reached its peak, and the ritual had to begin. Celeste practically _skipped_ over as she completed the final magic runes, and grabbed the items needed for the ritual.

 _Four minutes._

"Oi," Tsuchimikado called out as she stepped back, surveying her work.

"Hmm?"

"Are you… Are you sure?" He asked, hesitant. It wasn't too late to stop.

"Of course I am. I have to do this," she said.

He could see no doubt, no hesitation in her eyes. She didn't even have the resigned visage of someone about to die and accepted their fate.

"Aren't you at least going to use your ability to make it easier on your body?" Tsuchimikado asked.

She nodded slowly, contemplating his words.

 _Three minutes_.

" _My body can handle being Lucifer's core_ ," she said.

Silence.

"Well? Do you feel any different?" Tsuchimikado asked impatiently.

 _Two minutes_.

She thought for a moment. "Hmm… Not really."

He raised an eyebrow. "Did it work?"

She grinned.

 _One minute._

"Only one way to find out!"

He shook his head. "You're insane."

She laughed. "Of course I am. Otherwise I couldn't handle both onii-chan and Shiro-chan."

He forced a smile onto his face. "Let's do this."

 _Zero minutes_.

* * *

Accelerator frowned as he looked over the data, Misaka Worst's warmth against his arm as she sat next to him, frowning as she attempted to analyze the data. Funny how an enemy could turn into an ally in mere moments.

He could not consider her a friend. Not yet, at least. But she was an ally.

His Vector Change worked full time, trying to analyze Index's song, which had been stored on the Misaka Network. Never was he more grateful that Celeste had healed him all those months ago, because he was quite sure that if he was using the choker, the batteries would have run out long ago. Probably before he fought Kamijou Touma, even.

No matter how he looked at it, it was magic. And he needed to use magic. Accelerator frowned, trying to remember something Celeste had told him a long time ago, something about espers and magic.

The two didn't mix, he realized. Magic was only for the humans who were incapable of unlocking the parts of their brains that allowed them to use ESP. Therefore, espers were physically incapable of using magic. It was the price they paid, the exchange.

But Celeste had used magic before. What had been different? Was it because she could warp reality? Or was it because she knew something nobody else but Aleister Crowley and herself did?

He sighed. It wasn't like he had a choice. If he must destroy himself to save Last Order, that was what he had to do.

So he began to perform the spell.

And the pain began.

Accelerator gritted his teeth, continuing the spell despite the agony. He felt like his body was being torn to shreds, both inside and out. He was, literally. The sudden lacerations and blood that burst from his pale skin was proof of that. And from the horrified look on Misaka Worst's face, it was even worse than he thought.

If he hadn't been in so much pain, he would probably have laughed. He knew he looked like a monster right now, covered in blood. He knew the terror people felt when they looked at him as a figure of crimson and white. Except in those times the blood didn't belong to him, but to his victims.

And damn it, it _hurt_.

That's why when the spell finally, _finally_ ended, and Last Order was visibly recovering, he fell back with relief.

The relief vanished.

Accelerator shot up, eyes wide, ignoring all the pain that ran through his body like a violent electric shock. His heart clenched, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from crying out at the feeling. He knew this feeling. He had felt it more than once. And he had felt it only when he was losing Celeste.

Something had happened to her. Wasn't she supposed to be safe in Academy City?!

Damn it. Damn it!

He glared up at the sky, unable to help the grim satisfaction when he detected the blast of telesma heading their way. He needed something to destroy right then, if only to settle the edgy tension coiled within him. Accelerator felt his body change, felt himself 'awakening'. Last Order and Misaka Worst stared him with awe, and he wondered briefly what he looked like.

But he didn't have time to wonder for long.

"Oi, brat," he said, voice raspy.

Last Order's eyes widened in realization as Accelerator began floating off the ground. "Misaka Misaka shouts out for Accelerator! No! You can't go! You'll die!"

"I won't, idiot," he said, but his heart wasn't in it. He knew there was a pretty high chance he would die.

"Don't go, Misaka Misaka cries!"

"Goodbye, brat," Accelerator said simply, and turned, ignoring the small hand reaching out for him, ignoring the wails.

He shot straight towards the telesma, and gritted his teeth as the Angel's Power hit his wings, sparks practically flying at the supernatural friction. Heat seared his skin, and pain tore through his body. For a moment, the wings nearly gave way, and his heart nearly stopped.

But just as he was wondering if he would die, the wings strengthened, withstanding the final spurt of telesma. For one blinding moment, wings clashed against magic, and then everything went dark.

It was almost as if he had gone blind, with the way the light disappeared without a trace. He felt his body falling back, freefalling through the air. Exhausted, he didn't even care. He knew he would land safely. His ability got to work, pushing back against the ground, giving him a safe landing.

With a cry, Last Order pounced on him, crying.

Accelerator sat back, exhausted but content. Last Order was safe, alive and well. He had survived both the spell and the magic blast. Misaka Worst had survived. He could ignore the pain, as long as everything was alright. The uneasiness in his heart didn't fade, though. He lay on his back, staring up at the sky.

 _Celeste._

* * *

"And?" Fiamma managed to smirk. "So I set your plans back. Perhaps even destroyed your plans. What could you do about it?"

Aleister smirked, expression hard. "You are in the way. And I came to destroy even the slightest chance of my plan being calculated out from your interference, from the trouble you caused. Therefore, I cannot allow you to fall into the hands of a magical organization."

A tense silence fell, and Fiamma's eyes widened. Aleister could see the realization light up, the man beginning to comprehend the truth of the world. And Fiamma began to laugh once again, a mirthless laughter filled with anguish and hopelessness.

"You are a cruel man. Simply seeing you, listening to you speak, makes me feel like my life has been useless, that all my actions have been futile," Fiamma smirked past the desolation, eyes mocking. "But yours are too. We share the same expression, and those who have the ability to save the world cannot carry this look on our faces, in our eyes. No, I cannot save the world. But neither can you. Kamijou Touma stands far above us in that matter, and nobody can overtake his position."

Fiamma of the Right struggled to his feet, the smirk still on his face as he once again summoned his incomplete Holy Right, his Third Arm. Aleister merely stared at him, expression completely blank. He didn't hate people who struggled. But it didn't mean he thought it was good either. It was… simply a waste of time and energy.

"You may as well stop trying," Aleister said mildly, the Blasting Rod appearing in his hand. "It is futi—"

Aleister stopped, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. Something just happened to Celeste. He, who had the strongest connection to her, the connection of blood, felt it as keenly as if he had seen it with his own eyes.

His eyes refocused on reality and he started breathing again, only to see Fiamma staring curiously at him, head cocked. Aleister shook off the dreadful feeling that curled into a ball within him. He believed in Celeste.

She would not fail him.

"It is not an issue of futility. I will protect the world that Kamijou Touma saved from being trampled by _you_ ," Fiamma said.

The two tensed. And as if a signal had been given, the two clashed. Fiamma took two steps past Aleister, a smile forming on his lips.

And then he fell.

Aleister glanced down at the still form one final time. "It was your mistake for analyzing the Imagine Breaker, and even the One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons, at only the level of Christianity. It is your loss, Fiamma of the Right."

Aleister's eyes turned up towards the sky and he sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

 _Celeste_.


	7. Chapter 7

Accelerator rubbed his eyes, finally allowing the exhaustion to set in now that the war was _over_. His whole body hurt. But Last Order was safe, they were alive, and they were going _home_. He never thought he would ever actually be _glad_ to go back to that shitty place called Academy City. But he had a plan to make it not so shitty, and…

Celeste was there.

Not that he would ever admit it, of course. And now that he actually thought about it, didn't he admit a lot of things that he swore never to admit? Ah, whatever. It was not like it mattered all that much, since he could just kill or maim anybody who dared to make fun of him.

The plane's engines hummed, and the sound system crackled, but the pilot of the Academy City retrieval unit seemed to decide against disturbing the espers, particularly Accelerator, and the crackling seized before the pilot even said a word. Accelerator glanced out the window to see Academy City approaching quickly. Finally.

Strange, how luck always turned his way. He survived all the time, managed to save the people he wanted to, and managed to destroy his enemies. And then he always got away with the things he did, and ended up with minimal consequences to pay for his misdeeds.

Only thing was he seemed to have more and more females stuck to him, kind of like Kamijou Touma.

He glanced down at Last Order sleeping in his lap, and Misaka Worst napping on her seat in the row behind him. Well, he supposed he didn't really mind having a bunch of brats to take care of, no matter how annoying they were. And he didn't really mind having an annoying idiot teenage girl taking care of him either.

At that thought, he shifted impatiently. The plane ride that had seemed to pass by so quickly all of a sudden seemed to drag out forever. He wanted to get _home_. Where a certain annoying blonde idiot should be, if she didn't get dragged into things. And where he could get a new phone to call her if she wasn't where she should be.

"We are now landing. Please put on your seatbelts," the pilot said.

Accelerator glared up at the speakers. Finally. And at the same time, he couldn't help but feel the announcement was a little _late_ , considering that barely five seconds after the voice faded, the plane started bouncing on the runway.

Last Order sat up with a surprised yelp, eyes wide with surprise, before she realized they weren't in any danger. Accelerator scowled, gritting his teeth. How the hell did the pilot get his license if he couldn't even land the plane correctly?!

But the plane kept bouncing, the wheels touching the runway for brief seconds before floating in the air for a few seconds, and the pattern repeated. Finally, with a low rumble, the plane touched down _properly_. Accelerator shot an arm out to keep Last Order from flying forwards at the momentum as the plane braked hard. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Misaka Worst hit her head on the seat in front of her, and he fought the urge to laugh.

Apparently she could sense when somebody wanted to laugh at her, because she glanced around, and catching sight of Accelerator's lips twitching, she focused a glare at him. He deliberately refrained from looking in her direction, because he was quite sure that if he did, he _would_ laugh.

The plane rolled to a stop, and with Last Order gripping his sleeve and Misaka Worst

sulking behind him, the trio started walking down the familiar streets of Academy City. Accelerator's eyes narrowed. The city, usually so familiar and irritatingly cheerful, seemed almost strange, cold. Unconsciously his eyes shot to the Windowless Building. Had something happened while he was gone?

 _Celeste_ , his mind whispered, but he shook the thought off. She wasn't that weak, to get killed so easily. And even if she got hurt, Heaven Canceller could do something about it.

 _Unless she wasn't in Academy City_ …

But that couldn't be, right? All espers who went to Russia and joined the Third World War were brought back by the retrieval units, and the casualties and missing people listed did not include a Celeste Crowley. That could only mean she did not go to Russia. She did not die, or get hurt, or disappear.

So why did her voice sound weird when he last called her?

So why didn't the strange feeling disappear?

Glaring out at nothing in general, Accelerator walked faster, forcing Last Order into a half jog to keep up with him. He had to get home, had to check if Celeste was there. She had to be there. She _had_ to. If she _dared_ disappear on him again…

Accelerator stormed down the hall of their apartment building and jammed the key into his lock, all the while listening for noise next door. He practically threw the door opened and glared inside and… And—

What the _hell_ happened to his apartment?!

His jaw dropped open as he surveyed the damage. It was like an earthquake hit before a typhoon of fire slammed through, and then starving wild animals tore through everything to search for food. His furniture were in pieces, and deep gouges sat innocently in the walls, as if they were supposed to be there, and the door between his apartment and Celeste's was _missing_. No. That wasn't quite accurate. It was in splinters all over his floor, with the brass knob forlornly staring up at him.

Last Order released his sleeve, allowing him to enter and sift through everything. She and Misaka Worst stood outside, uncharacteristically silent as they watched. Accelerator walked slowly through the rooms, eyes drinking in the extent of the damage.

It was good that he didn't have any valuables, or many belongings. He moved all the time because idiots tried to ambush him, only to trash his home when they found nobody in the apartment. Only this time he had hoped he could stay, since Celeste had coincidentally moved in next to him.

Even if he suspected it wasn't quite a coincidence.

He finally moved to the apartment next door. The damage was just as bad, but unlike his place, it was obviously void of anything belonging to her. The apartment felt cold, strange, and the scent of carnations was missing. It no longer felt lived in, even if he ignored the destruction. His heart dropped. She had moved out long before he returned. Perhaps she had already left when he called.

Accelerator leaned back against the wall, eyes closing. He should get a new cell phone. Call her. He had memorized the number long ago. He would call her, and hope she hadn't crushed her phone and thrown it away like he had.

He loosened the fists he had unconsciously clenched, and walked out, never to return again. Last Order and Misaka Worst shared a look, but followed him silently. They sensed that it wasn't the time to speak to him, or to annoy him.

The trio walked to a new apartment complex, one Last Order recognized but Misaka Worst didn't. The entire way, everybody walking down the streets had either crossed to the other side or given the white haired esper a wide berth. Everybody sensed the danger radiating from him.

Accelerator pounded on the door.

"Okay, okay, jan. Jeez. What is it, ja—Accelerator?" Yomikawa asked, surprised at seeing the level five in front of the door.

"My apartment's trashed," Accelerator replied curtly.

Yomikawa sighed, moving aside. "Come in. You can stay here, jan. All… three of you. Why is there one more?"

"Picked her up," Accelerator said, and walked in, kicking his shoes off. "I'm borrowing your phone."

"Ah, sure, jan," Yomikawa muttered, even though he was already dialling, and he hadn't exactly _asked_ for permission. "You two can come in. And close the door behind you, jan."

The two girls obeyed. Misaka Worst raised an eyebrow at Last Order as she pointed at Yomikawa in a silent question. Last Order shook her head, pointing at Accelerator. Misaka Worst nodded. Questions later, when Accelerator wouldn't rip their heads off. Got it.


	8. Chapter 8

goddessofshadows7212: Thanks. ...Does her being kind of dead count? :P

* * *

" _Gagagaga noisy mimi wo fusaidara… Omae naiteiru koe wo kiita, saikyou nanka kurete yaru…_ "

Tsuchimikado Motoharu frowned, glancing around for the source of the noise. The singing voice sent strange shivers up his spine, as if the owner of the voice was a dangerous, psychopathic killer. But he couldn't quite place who the voice seemed to belong to, so he forced himself to shake off the feeling.

It finally hit him that it was a ringtone. And since it was obviously not his, and nobody else was around, it could only belong to the girl he was currently carrying. He placed her down gently, making sure not to hit her head against the hard ground, before searching her for her phone.

It wasn't on her, of course.

Tsuchimikado rolled his eyes and swore at himself for being so stupid. Magic didn't mix with science and technology, so of course she put everything electronic in her bag before handing it to him while she worked magic.

He shuffled through her bag, searching for the elusive cell phone. Miraculously it was still ringing. The caller was either very persistent and stubborn, or was desperate to reach her.

"Hello?"

"Idiot! Where the hell are you?" The voice on the other end demanded.

Shudders ran up and down Tsuchimikado's body. He knew very well who the owner of the voice was. Too well. And he dreaded Accelerator's reaction when he answered the phone instead of the girl Accelerator was looking for.

"Oi! Kusotare!"

"Hey, Accelerator," Tsuchimikado said.

He could practically hear Accelerator stiffen at his voice. A silence fell, and Tsuchimikado could only the white haired level five's breathing for a long moment.

"Tsuchimikado," Accelerator snarled, voice quiet.

"Y-yeah," Tsuchimikado cursed himself for stuttering, for feeling so nervous even though Accelerator was _miles_ away.

"What the hell are you doing with _my_ Celeste's cellphone?"

He heard the possessiveness loud and clear. Tsuchimikado felt like moving to the Himalayas right about then. Accelerator wouldn't be able to find him amongst all those mountains… Right?

"She's right here. Except she's kind of… asleep? Unconscious?" Tsuchimikado fished for a word that wouldn't drive the other boy to comb through the world to hunt him down.

" _Why_ ," the word was practically hissed.

Tsuchimikado could almost see Accelerator's eyes narrowing, almost feel the bloodlust washing over him, paralyzing him. He felt the sudden urge to sit down as his legs started to feel like jello.

"She tired herself out," Tsuchimikado said quickly, before realizing how easily the situation could be misunderstood. "And it had nothing to do with me! I do not have any type of relationship with her, aside from partn—friendship, so _pleasedon'tkillme_."

"What is she doing with you?"

Oh, kami. The bloodlust did not fade at all. "She had to do something. Magic related. So I went with her."

" _Why."_

Tsuchimikado might just hate that word from now on. "Because she's a Crowley."

Strangely, he felt the bloodlust subside. Apparently Accelerator knew about Crowley, knew about magic.

"When will she wake up?" Accelerator asked, now sounding genuinely curious.

Tsuchimikado fought the urge to fake a bad connection and hang up. He stood there speechlessly, unable to find a good answer. What was he supposed to say? Accelerator had never heard the phrase 'don't shoot the messenger', or even if he did, he never practiced it. The boy didn't shoot the messenger. He maimed, stepped on, and killed the messenger in a painful splatter of blood before turning the messenger into nothing but a human sized puddle of crushed bones, flesh, innards, and blood.

"Erm…" was the genius reply Tsuchimikado came up with.

He could feel the bloodlust wash over him again.

" _Is_ she going to wake up?" Accelerator growled, voice low.

"…Maybe?"

Not exactly the best answer for the situation. But it was the best answer he could come up with. He _didn't_ know if the blood soaked girl on the ground would wake up. For the hundredth time, he put his fingers at her neck, feeling for a pulse. It was there, and it wasn't exactly weak, but he didn't know how long that would last.

She had given herself fifteen minutes to use magic and complete the ritual, and had used her ability to try and make her body capable of becoming Lucifer's core. Yet…

"Bring her back. Alive," Accelerator snarled. He didn't even need to say what would happen otherwise, but Tsuchimikado understood perfectly.

"Y-yeah," he gulped, and the moment he stood listening to the dial tone, he shut the phone off and replaced it in the bag.

And then he allowed himself to collapse onto the ground next to her.

The summoning wasn't the prettiest thing he had ever seen.

There was a bright light, almost blinding. Telesma, perhaps. Through his sunglasses and a squint, Tsuchimikado had seen a figure that looked almost like an angel, with black wings, and suddenly the bright white light was laced with black and red. He saw Celeste reach out, saw her mouth move, and the light disappeared.

Then the screaming began.

Tsuchimikado didn't move. He couldn't. He could only watch helplessly as the summoning ended, the fallen angel entering her body and fusing part of itself with Celeste, its new core. Its _sacrifice_.

For a long moment, everything fell silent, the girl on her knees. He wondered if she was dead, and gulped, wondering how he was supposed to explain that to Aleister and Accelerator.

But then she stood, eyes blank, practically dead. She took one step, and then another. When she got close enough, he saw that one eye had turned a deep purple with a tinge of crimson. Then she coughed up blood, with more of the red liquid pouring from her eyes and ears and nose, and she collapsed.

He had panicked, immediately checking for a pulse, and finding one, he relaxed. Only slightly. She was alive, at the very least.

Except she wasn't quite alive.

She had lost consciousness, and had not woken in the past few days he had been carrying her. He wasn't sure she would ever wake up. It was probably the minimum price she would pay for being a scientific body dealing with extremely powerful magic forces.

Tsuchimikado sighed, hoisting her onto his back once again. He would know for sure when they returned to Academy City, and Heaven Canceller took a look at her. If he could heal her, then good. If he couldn't…

Well, Tsuchimikado thought, the Taklimakan was probably a nice place to live. He should probably leave once he dropped the girl off with the doctor. A head start before Accelerator destroyed everything would be perfect. And he would only return when the girl was alive and well.

That was a good plan.

Tsuchimikado sighed again. Of all the places she had to bring them for the summoning, it had to be somewhere without a single person, without a GSP signal. He had to get her to somewhere where he could actually ask someone where they were, so he could call for someone from Academy City to pick them up.

He just hoped the girl would wake up and save Academy City—and himself—from becoming massacred.


	9. Chapter 9

Tsuchimikado Motoharu waited, fidgeting in the halls of the hospital. He supposed he was lucky to find a single traveller who actually knew where he was, considering that the man had a GPS. But still, he couldn't help but wish the girl had specified a location when teleporting them to a place where she could perform the ritual, rather than simply saying 'large, deserted area with a flat ground'.

He hadn't thought of that beforehand. If she had died in the process, he wouldn't have been able to get home. They had been betting everything on her staying alive. She had. But neither had expected her to go unconscious like that, practically becoming a living corpse.

So he had carried her for _miles_ , even deliberating calling Stiyl to locate him, but he decided against it. After all, the two had stolen the Red Dragon right from under Stiyl—and many other powerful magicians' noses—and even after performing the summoning ritual, Tsuchimikado still had the book. It would be a very bad idea to contact _any_ magician, save Aleister Crowley, while Celeste was unconscious and he was helplessly incapable of using magic and ESP.

Thankfully there was a single idiot—or not so idiotic person, considering that he saved them—who was in the middle of nowhere. And it _was_ the middle of nowhere. To think that Celeste would drop them somewhere not even on the map…

So Tsuchimikado got the coordinates, called Academy City, and a retrieval unit fetched them. He didn't tell them anything, and they didn't ask. The retrieval units all knew enough about espers and the dark side of Academy City to ask no questions, even if they did not know specifics. Basically, Tsuchimikado surmised, they only knew 'ask nothing, know nothing, interfere with nothing, and you get to live'.

Currently he had successfully transferred Celeste to Heaven Canceller's care, and after a single look at the girl, the man's face hardened grimly and he wheeled the girl away without another word. Tsuchimikado's heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He was _sure_ Accelerator would slaughter him now.

Heaven Canceller sighed heavily as he looked over the girl. She wasn't quite human anymore. Far from it, in fact. If the frog doctor had never met Aleister Crowley, he would not know what in the world to make of the girl. As it was, he was confused enough. What in the world had happened to turn her into _this_? She had become one third human, one third fallen angel, and one third 'core'.

Humans were not meant to become an angel's core, to become a medium that grounded an angel so another person could summon the angel at any time. Even if the angel was fallen. Powerful Church members too had to go through rigorous training and layer spell on top of spell to harness angelic power, and even so, they did not _fuse_ with an angel. They fused a spell with the angel to link them to this plane of existence.

For an _esper_ , a person linked to science and technology, to _fuse_ with an angel… It was a death wish. It was a miracle that the girl was alive, really, and Heaven Canceller had no doubt that it was only because she had used her Reality Warp to adapt. Still, it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough.

He had told Accelerator once, and Railgun once before. He could heal anything as long as it was human.

It was unfortunate for the girl and for Accelerator, but Celeste Crowley no longer fit the bill.

He wondered how to break the news to the boy. He had to, eventually, and sooner was better than later. He hated this part of being a doctor. Heaven Canceller had become one of the best just so things like this wouldn't happen, so his patients would not die on him.

But Celeste Crowley was dead, or very close to it. Only her body was alive, the physical shell that still served as a medium for the angel. Heaven Canceller sighed once again and pulled a blanket over the girl's body before leaving the room.

Tsuchimikado Motoharu shot to his feet, body tensed, and Heaven Canceller was sure the boy's eyes were worried behind the sunglasses. The doctor shook his head. With a puff of air, the boy collapsed onto the chair, holding his head in his hands.

"Do you think the Himalayas or the Taklimakan is nicer this time of the year?" Tsuchimikado asked.

In spite of himself, Heaven Canceller's mouth twitched in amusement. "Neither. You should try living under the ocean."

Tsuchimikado laughed weakly. "Are you going to call him, or should I?"

"I think you should run," Heaven Canceller said by way of answer.

Tsuchimikado nodded wordlessly, and handed the doctor a bag filled with her things. The man glanced in and nodded, and Tsuchimikado walked away, shoulders hunched with the weight of a man carrying the world. Heaven Canceller debated using Celeste's phone, but concluded that it would only give Accelerator false hope. He used his own.

"What is it?" Accelerator asked, half snarling, half expectant.

"You… should come over," Heaven Canceller told him. "Would you like the good news or bad news first?"

"… Bad."

"Celeste Crowley most likely no longer exists," Heaven Canceller said.

He could almost hear Accelerator's body freeze as his mind processed the news, his breath hitching in his throat. He heard a snap as the boy's teeth clenched.

"Then what the hell's the good news?!"

"Her body is still alive."

A tense silence fell for a moment. "I'm coming."

The boy arrived in record time, and nodding a greeting, Heaven Canceller opened the door to let him in. He didn't ask how the boy knew which room. He had either threatened one of the nurses or caught sight of Heaven Canceller through the window on his way in. It didn't matter either way.

He felt pity for the boy. It was the second time he had ever seen Accelerator with that look in his eyes. He had never reacted this way even when Last Order got hurt, but that was probably because Accelerator always _knew_ he could do something about it. If Last Order got kidnapped, he could hunt her down and destroy those who dared touch her. If she got hurt, he could threaten the scientists and doctors of Academy City to heal her, or resort to magic like he did in Russia.

But Celeste Crowley was different. Accelerator was no healer. He couldn't do anything except keep her from bleeding out the first time, and perhaps if her heart stopped, he could use his ability to keep it beating until he got to Heaven Canceller and the doctor did something to keep the girl alive. And this time, Accelerator could do even less, as Heaven Canceller himself was already at a loss.

It didn't help that Accelerator was in love with the girl, even if the boy would not admit it.

The doctor watched as a pale hand, barely trembling, brushed a stray hair out of her face, preventing it from falling into her eyes. He watched as Accelerator tapped her cheek with a finger, as if pleading for her to awaken. He watched as Accelerator's fist clenched, creasing the blanket in his hands. And he watched as the red eyes, burning with turmoil and almost overly bright, turned to stare at him.

"Heal her," Accelerator whispered.

"I'm sorry," Heaven Canceller said.


	10. Chapter 10

tamni: Thank you. I agree with you, and I do have something planned. Not going to spoil it though. And you think outer space is enough? Accelerator could probably hitch a ride to space. Would take some time to search all the planets and stars though, if he doesn't use the satellite images in space to do all the dreary work for him first.

* * *

Heaven Canceller watched the boy with pity in his eyes, accepting the tantrum that suited a five year old more than a sixteen year old. He didn't stop the boy, simply allowing the boy to rage to his heart's content. Accelerator had a right to be angry, to be upset with the world. He had seen people break down over less. And Accelerator had just about lost one of the two most important people to him.

"Why? Why can't you heal her, damn it?! You did it last time!" Accelerator yelled.

"Last time she was injured physically," Heaven Canceller explained. "This time… Accelerator-kun, I cannot heal anything that is not human."

"She _is_ human," Accelerator snarled.

"Not anymore."

Accelerator froze, taking in the words. His red eyes were wide, his mouth slightly parted. Not anymore. She wasn't human anymore? That didn't make sense, kusotare! She was human three weeks ago, when he had gone to Russia! What the hell had happened in between…

"Where's Tsuchimikado?" Accelerator asked, voice soft.

"What are you planning to do with him?" Heaven Canceller asked, wariness rising from the uncharacteristically quiet tone. "I will not allow you to contact him if you plan to hurt him."

"I just want answers," Accelerator said, voice and body tight.

Heaven Canceller studied him for a second, searching for any trace of a lie. Finding none, he nodded. "I'll call him."

Tsuchimikado arrived surprisingly quickly, considering how terrified he had been that Accelerator would destroy him. Heaven Canceller could only surmise that the boy had been hanging around outside the hospital, waiting for news regarding the girl he had brought in. He debated leaving the two boys to talk things out, but he was still wary of Accelerator's volatile mood. He did not want bloodstains in a hospital room. It would scare the guests.

"You were with her," Accelerator said.

"Yeah," Tsuchimikado answered softly, eyes flicking to the girl.

"What happened?"

Tsuchimikado glanced hesitantly at Heaven Canceller. The doctor, although great at his work, was a part of Academy City. Revealing secrets pertaining to Aleister Crowley and the magic world was not recommended.

"I know she isn't human," Heaven Canceller said, helping the blonde decide. "It was magic, wasn't it?"

Tsuchimikado didn't bother becoming surprised. Of course the doctor knew about magic. It was Academy City, where anything and everything could and did happen. He sighed, taking off his sunglasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"How much do you know about summoning angels?" Tsuchimikado asked.

"It's stupid," Accelerator answered, thinking of the effect Aiwass had on Last Order's body.

"I happen to agree," Heaven Canceller stated.

"Yeah. Me too. Especially for espers, right? Espers aren't supposed to use magic. It destroys our bodies. And if we go too far, we die. I'm a level zero esper, but I was born and raised a magician. After going through the courses, I still can't use magic without it affecting my body," Tsuchimikado explained.

"Yeah. It hurts like hell," Accelerator recalled, almost shuddering at the memory of what he had gone through as he healed Last Order.

Tsuchimikado gave him a strange look, but continued, "Celeste's ability lets her use magic for short times without physical consequences. But she still couldn't handle large scale magic."

"She summoned an angel?" Accelerator asked.

"A fallen angel," Tsuchimikado corrected. "I don't know exactly what happened, but she became Lucifer's core. She is at least part angel right now, and her body and mind couldn't handle it."

"An angel," Heaven Canceller sighed, his suspicions confirmed. "And not even an AIM one…"

He was getting too old for this. What happened to the days when people did not do stupid things on such a massive scale? When magic and science remained nicely separated?

" _Why_?" Accelerator asked, voice choking in his throat.

"Do you need to ask?" Tsuchimikado replied grimly.

The room fell silent, save for the heart monitor beeping a steady rhythm. No, they did not need to ask. The answer was too obvious to the trio, who knew exactly who the girl was affiliated with, and how far she would go for his sake. It didn't make sense to them, who considered living better than dying. Yet at the same time, it made perfect sense for someone to sacrifice themselves for someone they cared about. Tsuchimikado had done so for his little sister, and Accelerator had almost lost his life for Last Order.

But the two girls were _innocent_. Aleister Crowley was not. Perhaps it was a matter of perspective, but the three males did not think anybody would consider Aleister Crowley a good person. Not even Celeste, in spite of her bias. However, she would sacrifice herself for him, her life, her future. The only thing she would never sacrifice was Accelerator, but that didn't help things much. The boy was still furious at her for thinking so little of her life, and at Aleister Crowley for making her go that far for him.

"Kusotare! I'm going to _kill_ him," Accelerator snarled, slamming a fist against the wall.

Heaven Canceller supposed he should be glad Accelerator didn't have the presence of mind to use his ability, or the hospital would be missing a wall, and the patient next door would be _very_ surprised by an undesired new window that provided a view of an unconscious girl. And most likely more than a few shards of concrete buried in his or her skin.

"How?" Tsuchimikado asked, a single brow rising into his spiky bangs.

"I'm going to find him, and destroy him."

Tsuchimikado hesitated, thinking matters through. He had visited Crowley in person once or twice. The Windowless Building was not an easy place to enter, much less obliterate. He had heard that it would stay standing and unscathed even if someone dropped a nuclear bomb onto it. Not to mention that Aleister Crowley wasn't the best person to mess with, even if Accelerator was one of his most important pawns. After all, as far as he had heard, Kamijou Touma was another important pawn, and Aleister hadn't moved to save the blonde's friend either.

Heaven Canceller had just about the same thought going through his mind. No matter what, Aleister Crowley was one of his patients. Even if they had severed their ties, that fact still remained. He was reluctant, as a doctor, to give away any information so the boy could harm the man he had saved long ago. His human side, on the other hand, demanded that he listen to morals and allow the boy to decide what to do—take revenge, or let the magician go.

And Accelerator… He knew very well throwing a building at the Windowless Building wouldn't do anything except destroy the building he threw. He had already sent two buildings crashing into Aleister Crowley's residence, to no avail. That meant he had to somehow get inside, directly reaching Aleister and bashing everything in his way.

"How?" Tsuchimikado reiterated, referring to Accelerator's goal of annihilating the world's greatest magician.

" _I don't know, damn it_!" Accelerator growled.


	11. Chapter 11

Accelerator screamed with rage as he ran into yet another dead end. He had gone through several information networks, only to find nothing. He had even searched through the information banks from the newly destroyed dark side of Academy City, to no avail. There was no information on the Windowless Building, and no way in.

There had to be a way in and out, without using Celeste's ability. One could probably teleport in, but the Windowless Building's security would not be so lax if even a building and five minutes of Earth's rotation could not even scratch its surface. It couldn't be as simple as teleporting inside. Normal teleporters would not know how the place worked, and would get into a very painful and perhaps even life threatening accident. And that didn't include the traps that doubtlessly lay inside.

But that only meant _normal_ teleporters could not get in. There had to be one or two who _could_ , aside from Celeste. Because if all three people got wiped out, then there would be no way for Aleister Crowley to interact with the outside world, save for exiting the building himself.

Yomikawa peeked into the room and sighed. He had asked her about getting into the Windowless Building first, before going to Yoshikawa. Both of their answers were the same. They would look into it, but he shouldn't get his hopes up. And as Yomikawa expected, none of the Anti Skill databases contained any information about the Windowless Building, top secret data or not. _Nobody_ could get in, basically.

Yoshikawa came up with the same conclusion. None of the research databases in the entire Academy City had any information. At the most, she had told Accelerator, the information was written on paper and hidden somewhere. But even that was highly unlikely. All the information was probably kept in certain trustworthy brains, only passed on to those deemed worthy of the knowledge.

Accelerator knew that meant the Misaka Network wouldn't know anything either, but it didn't stop him from trying. And just as everyone expected, they came up with zilch.

With Celeste in such a condition, there was nobody else he could ask. It wasn't like the databases actually stated that a person 'could get into the Windowless Building' or not. He would have to investigate the inhabitants of Academy City one by one. Or rather, he would have to investigate those who had been a part of the dark side of Academy City. Nobody in the light would have such knowledge.

Out of the people he knew, that left GROUP, Kamijou Touma, Misaka Mikoto, and Heaven Canceller. He could strike Imagine Breaker and Railgun off the list immediately. He highly doubted that Kamijou Touma knew the way in, considering that his right arm nullified any supernatural ability. That meant that he probably couldn't be teleported anywhere. As for Railgun, she hadn't learned about the dark side until very recently, and it took her a long time to discover the Level Six Project. If she wasn't in on things from the start, she wasn't deep enough in the dark side.

That left GROUP and Heaven Canceller.

Accelerator frowned, collapsing into a chair as he thought. If he were a less suspicious person, he would strike out Heaven Canceller and Tsuchimikado Motoharu. They had been in the hospital room with him when he practically declared war on Aleister Crowley, and they hadn't said anything.

Yet, the more he thought about it, the more it would make sense that Heaven Canceller had something to do with Aleister Crowley. The man stayed alive for so long, most likely through artificial means. And magic didn't last forever, no matter how many times the magician renewed the spell. His body would have eventually broken down. That only left science to keep Aleister Crowley alive.

And when one thought of medical science in Academy City, one immediately thought of Heaven Canceller, the doctor so good at his job that he seemed to defy the gods.

If he questioned the doctor, he could find a way into the building, even if the doctor couldn't physically get him inside.

Still, Accelerator was reluctant to interrogate the man, especially if he had other means at his disposal. Not only had the frog doctor saved him several times, he also saved Celeste once, and possibly could do so once again. He didn't want to get onto the man's bad side, no matter how infinite the doctor's patience sometimes seemed. Every human had their limits, and he wasn't quite willing to test the doctor's.

As for GROUP…

Tsuchimikado seemed like Accelerator's best bet. The blonde seemed to know too much about Academy City _and_ magic. He knew about Aleister Crowley and he had followed Celeste when she left to summon the fallen angel. The more Accelerator thought about it, the more it made sense that Tsuchimikado would know a way for him to meet Aleister Crowley.

The boy stood, the chair clattering violently as it threatened to fall, but steadied. He walked towards the apartment door, levelling a stare at the two Misaka clones and Yomikawa.

"I'm going out," he said, and slammed the door behind him.

Once outside, he paused for a moment, frowning. The two brats seemed strangely quiet for the past few days, since they had returned from the war. It was almost like… No. They _were_ tiptoeing on eggshells around him. Tch. Smart brats.

As Accelerator walked, he flipped open his cellphone and scrolled down. He paused for a moment when Celeste's name popped up, but he shook his head at irrationality and continued scrolling until he got to Tsuchimikado's name.

The boy picked up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"How do I get into the Windowless Building?" Accelerator asked, skipping the greetings and pleasantries.

He heard Tsuchimikado sigh on the other end. "I knew you would reach me eventually… Meet me in front of GROUP's former headquarters."

And then Accelerator was left listening to the dial tone. He raised an eyebrow, but complied. It wasn't like he was afraid of traps or anything. He was the strongest level five, even without the wings he somehow developed a while ago. If Tsuchimikado tried to corner him, he just had to squish everything in his way before forcing his way into the building.

Thankfully he didn't need to.

When he arrived at the run down place, more suited for rats and cockroaches than humans, Tsuchimikado was waiting with Musujime Awaki. The older girl had always tried to avoid him after he had beaten her into the ground when she stupidly assumed he had gotten weaker and confronted him. He didn't really care, even when he found out that she was in GROUP along with him. He preferred to work solo anyways.

But he really should have expected. She was quite close to the dark side of Academy City, even more so than the other former members of GROUP. And most of all, she was a powerful teleporter.

"Tch. She can get me in?" Accelerator growled, eyes never leaving the girl.

She fidgeted, refusing to meet his gaze. Tsuchimikado nodded, a half smile on his face. Accelerator's eyes scanned the girl, almost judging.

"She got me in, and a few magicians before me too," Tsuchimikado said. "She's one of the only few teleporters who could get you in, and the only one I know of."

"Tch. Kusotare," Accelerator said. "Let's go. And if you get me in and out, I'm not going to kill you."

Musujime visibly shuddered, sending Tsuchimikado a look that would have been called 'pleading' if it was on a less prideful girl. But the blonde shook his head, shrugging helplessly with a smile on his face. And gulping, the girl scurried behind Accelerator, making sure not to walk too close or too far.

The walk seemed to take forever, but they finally stood in front of the Windowless Building. From outside it looked so innocent, yet it held something, or someone, Accelerator would like nothing more than to kill.

He glanced at Musujime. "Let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Erm... Just in case, as a warning, the F word is used here. I try to avoid using the word in my writing (and swear words stronger than 'crud' in real life), but I figured the situation calls for it.

* * *

"Welcome. You must be Accelerator. This is the first time we are meeting face to face, is it not?" Aleister said pleasantly.

Accelerator snarled wordlessly, glaring at the man.

Aleister Crowley looked nothing like he had expected. Accelerator expected a devilish old man, cruel and heartless, yet he was faced with _this_ strange creature, floating upside down in a tank, wearing nothing but a hospital gown.

His appearance was full of contradictions. He had a mature face, yet somehow it seemed childish as well. Feminine, yet masculine, saintly and unable to sin, yet with a hint of aloofness, mercilessness.

And what made Accelerator's breath catch in his throat was how _similar_ the man looked to Celeste. Granted, he looked like an adult, male version, but Accelerator had no doubt that if she grew up, she would look enough like the man to be mistaken as his twin. If.

She called him 'brother', and if Accelerator had not known the man was her distant ancestor rather than close kin, he would have assumed they were true siblings, or even that she was his clone. Her father hadn't looked anything like her, or like Aleister. Genetics worked quite strangely.

"I would offer you a seat and refreshments, but as you can see, I am not in the position to do so. You will have to settle for standing, I'm afraid," Aleister said when it was clear that Accelerator would not return his greetings.

"You're Aleister Crowley," Accelerator finally spoke.

"Yes. I assumed that was quite clear," Aleister raised an eyebrow.

Now Accelerator knew where the girl got her smart mouth from, and where she learned to use the irritatingly polite speech when she became annoyed with someone.

"And Celeste is your… heir," Accelerator had to search for a correct term.

"Yes."

" _Fuck you_ ," Accelerator spat.

Aleister's brows rose, his mouth twitching into an amused, indulgent smile. Accelerator, on the other hand, did _not_ share the same sentiments. His scowl only deepened, his glare darkened. In the back of his mind, he noted that Musujime's presence disappeared, most likely giving the two privacy for a discussion she would much rather not hear. Accelerator supposed she would be back later to pick him up, but at the moment he didn't care about the girl. He only cared about Aleister. More specifically, he only cared about tearing down the man.

He already knew he couldn't kill Aleister, and it had nothing to do with being physically incapable of it. He believed he was perfectly able to slaughter the man and destroy the Windowless Building from the inside out. Except if—when—Celeste woke up, she would not be pleased to find the man she had nearly died for dead by Accelerator's hands.

"I may look like Cel, but I assure you, I am male, and have no such interest in you," Aleister said.

Accelerator's eyes widened with murderous intent, and he suddenly felt like Celeste's emotions were a lot less important than killing the man in front of him. A string of curses, all directed at Aleister, spewed from his lips. Yet, he felt like Aleister's amusement only grew, like a person watching their pet throw a small, harmless tantrum at not getting a treat.

"Don't you _dare_ say her name, you fucking bastard," Accelerator growled. "She's half dead, possibly even…" He choked on the word, unable to say it in such definitive terms. "Because of _you_."

"A pity," Aleister nodded. "I quite liked her."

Accelerator stiffened, jaw falling open. He ' _quite liked her_ '?! Like hell! He didn't give a shit about Celeste! If he did, he wouldn't have used her as a pawn, would have sent her to practically kill herself while knowing that she was an esper, and espers _couldn't use magic_!

"You… You were going to _sacrifice_ her!" Accelerator snarled.

Aleister only cocked his head at the boy. He could somewhat see why Celeste liked him, yet on the other hand, he couldn't see it at all. He himself certainly would not go for that type of person. His wife had been demure and obedient, with a little bite to her bark, just enough to keep things interesting. Accelerator, however, had too much bite and too much bark.

"I will sacrifice anything, _anyone_ for my goal," Aleister said calmly.

"She's your _sister_ damn it! Don't you have a heart? She was willing to give you _everything_ , and you treat her like trash!"

That wasn't quite true, Aleister thought, but he didn't voice it. He did care about Celeste, just as he loved his wife and his daughter Lilith. It was simply that human lives did not matter as much as his plans, his goals. He was different from Celeste.

Or was it the opposite? Was it that she was the same as him, willing to sacrifice everything for the goal of protecting the people she cared about?

"Lay her i' th' earth; and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest, a minist'ring angel shall my sister be when thou liest howling," Aleister quoted, a sad smile on his face.

" _She isn't dead yet_!" Accelerator ground out, red eyes glinting.

"No? The Celeste Crowley we know does not exist any longer, is that not correct? What remains is only her shell," Aleister said mildly.

" _She isn't dead yet, kusotare_!" Accelerator repeated.

Aleister sighed. "You should not keep your hopes up. It only leads to disappointment."

" _Fuck you_."

"I could have her cloned, if you wish," Aleister said, but he already knew how Accelerator would react to that.

"I don't want a clone. I want _her_ ," Accelerator growled.

Aleister had to admit, he was mildly surprised by the admission. And suddenly he saw a little more of the Accelerator Celeste liked so much.

" _You_ took her away. _You_ find a way to bring her back," Accelerator said, eyes blazing.

Aleister stayed silent, studying the boy, thinking. If possible, he would like Celeste back as well. She was a good child, and entertaining. If she remained the way she was now, she would still serve as a medium for him to summon Lucifer at will, but life would be a lot less interesting.

"Very well," Aleister said.

Accelerator blinked, surprised. "Huh?"

"I will try to find a way to wake Cel up with her self intact," Aleister clarified.

"How?" Accelerator asked dumbly, still unable to comprehend the words.

"I do not know. But if I fully access the worlds of science and magic, I should find a way. Index Librorum Prohibitorum should aid my research on the magic side, and Heaven Canceller on the science side. He should be willing to speak with me if it is to heal one of his patients," Aleister told the dumbfounded boy. "So if you will please leave, I need to think."

"Yeah. Sure," came the extremely witty reply.

As if summoned, Musujime appeared, and looked almost relieved to find the room intact and bloodless. With a look to Accelerator for permission, she touched him, and they were outside the Windowless Building.

* * *

Heaven Canceller peered into Celeste Crowley's room for the third routine check that day. He found nothing abnormal, of course. The girl wouldn't awaken. Celeste Crowley's conscious mind, and possibly her subconscious mind as well, was destroyed by the summoning ritual. She was good for nothing but serving as Lucifer's core now.

He glanced at the heart monitor to find it beating steadily, and checked on the IV drip to make sure it was full. Everything was normal. Heaven Canceller switched off the lights and closed the door, leaving the comatose girl in darkness.

And a pair of purple eyes opened.

* * *

A/N: Anybody expect this?

"Lay her i' th' earth; and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest, a minist'ring angel shall my sister be when thou liest howling."

If you couldn't guess, the quote is from Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1, spoken by Laertes when Ophelia was buried. A wonderful play, Hamlet. I would recommend it, but Shakespeare seems to use the easy way out by killing everyone as usual. Shakespearean tragedies almost seem like he couldn't think of a good ending, so he concludes it by killing just about all the characters. If we did that on FF, readers would call it 'an unsatisfactory rushed ending'.


	13. Chapter 13

A nurse's scream echoed through the dark halls of the hospital, the woman having collapsed onto her knees in front of an open door. She forced herself to crawl forward into the room, to check the bed and the closet, the bathroom.

It was empty.

The bed was unmade, the sheets cold. The heart monitor droned a flat line, the liquid from the nearly empty IV creating a damp patch on the blanket. The patient had left hours ago. The comatose patient that had been declared brain dead had stood up and _left_.

Trembling hands reached for a radio transmitter that linked to Heaven Canceller at all hours, and the nurse fumbled with it, nearly dropping it, before she managed to get a firm grip on it. It took her several tries to press and hold the button.

"Heaven Canceller, sir? Doctor?" The nurse said, voice quavering.

Static buzzed for a moment before a sleepy voice said, "Yes?"

"She's gone."

"Please be more specific?" Heaven Canceller's voice implored.

"The patient… umm… Celeste Crowley. She's _gone_ ," the nurse wailed.

Silence hung for a moment. "She's dead?"

"No, she's _gone_! Missing! Walked straight out!" The nurse sniffled, unable to hold back the tears.

Then and there, she resolved to quit her job in Academy City and move somewhere where people who were supposed to be nearly dead did not just get up and walk out. She's had one too many scares in this hospital already, shaved one too many years off her life. Another one would probably give her a heart attack.

"Nurse, she is _brain dead_. She cannot leave on her own," Heaven Canceller said patiently.

"But… But…"

"Someone may have taken her."

"No! She walked out herself!" The nurse insisted.

Heaven Canceller sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Calm down. We'll check the security cameras, alright? Then we'll know for sure. I'll be there in ten minutes."

The nurse sniffled again. "Alright."

But when they checked the videos, over and over and over, they could only see a single girl walking out of the room, down the halls, and out the hospital door. There was nobody with her, and nobody had entered her room between the time when Heaven Canceller left her and the time when the nurse went to check on the IV.

That only left the obvious conclusion that the nurse was right, and the girl had upped and walked out.

Heaven Canceller frowned, the wrinkles on his forehead creasing even more deeply. She shouldn't have regained consciousness. All the tests he ran proved that, and the three level four telepaths he had brought in all said there was no brain activity from the girl whatsoever, no matter what level of her mind they looked at.

Nothing made sense.

* * *

In the dark room, a cellphone rang, buzzing loudly against the wooden surface of a bedside table, clinking occasionally as the vibrations shifted it to tap against the lamp. The generic sound of _'briing briing_ ' caught his attention only for a brief moment before he drifted back towards slumber.

With a groan, Accelerator buried his head under the pillows. Who the hell would call at this time of night? Apparently the caller insisted on him picking up, because the phone had been ringing softly for about ten minutes, the sound stopping only when the call time ran out, before it started ringing again after a few seconds. The ringing stopped for a long moment, and he sighed with relief, starting to doze off again.

" _Bokura no kono ichidou kiri no yume Douse itsuka owari ga kuru nara Ikiru koto wo yametai toki dake Tachi domatte kangaeru kurai de, ii yo ne…_ "

It started again, but it was no longer the tone for unrecorded numbers. Accelerator frowned, mind slowly shifting back to consciousness. He knew this melody. His eyes burst open as he shot up, almost falling of the bed when he scrambled for the phone on the bedside table.

He didn't get his hopes up, though. He knew _her_ condition. That could only mean someone was calling him using _her_ phone, translating to new information about _her_.

"What?" Accelerator asked groggily.

"Accelerator-kun," Heaven Canceller's voice said. "Celeste Crowley is gon—missing."

Remembering his own reaction when the nurse called him, Heaven Canceller changed his wording at the last moment. He didn't need Accelerator panicking, especially since the news he would deliver was bad enough already.

That whipped all the sleep out of the boy. " _What_?!"

"She wasn't here when the nurse went in to check. And the surveillance videos showed her walking out," Heaven Canceller said wearily. "Before you think that is good news, I'm going to tell you it is impossible. Somebody must have been controlling her body. And if that somebody is a magician…"

Dread filled the pit of Accelerator's stomach. Heaven Canceller didn't need to finish the sentence. If that somebody was a magician, he wanted the girl for what was inside her. They would use her and toss her like trash, and if someone summoned Lucifer while she was in this state, Celeste would die for sure.

"I will contact Aleister. Please see if the Misaka Network could find her, and contact Tsuchimikado-kun," Heaven Canceller instructed before hanging up.

Accelerator stared at his phone for a moment before he snapped back to reality, and turned to shake Last Order awake. The girl reacted very much like he did, trying to sink into the bed to avoid having to wake up at one in the morning.

"Oi, _wake up_ , brat," Accelerator growled.

"Hmmnn," Last Order whined before sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of her barely open eyes. "Misaka Misaka wants to sleep…"

"Ask the Sisters if they've seen Ce—Titania," Accelerator told her, suddenly finding himself incapable of saying the girl's name.

"Eh? Cici is gone? Misaka Misaka asks with surprise as she wakes up completely."

"Yeah."

The small girl frowned. Accelerator stared at her, eyes completely focused on the clone as she communicated with the others. And when her face lit up with a bright smile, Accelerator felt himself relax slightly.

"Misaka Misaka found her! Let's go!" The little girl said too energetically for that time of day, but for once, Accelerator found that he didn't mind her energy.

The two ran out of the apartment, Last Order pumping her legs hard to keep up with Accelerator's longer strides. She held his hand, dragging him towards where one of the clones had been stalking Celeste on Last Order's request. It was a good thing the clones had eating and sleeping habits that were as bad as any normal teenager, because it meant they were out at all hours.

It was probably unnecessary.

Long before they arrived he could already guess where the girl was going, and he didn't know whether to feel relieved that it wasn't a random magician or pissed that Aleister could have been the one to move her.

"Titania!" Accelerator shouted as she came into sight.

Her light blonde hair was messy, most likely from rolling straight out of bed, and her dyed tips had reverted to her natural hair color. She was still wearing the hospital gown. He could see her bare feet bleeding from walking on concrete and all the sharp pebble fragments, yet she didn't seem to notice. She kept walking towards the Windowless Building.

From behind, she looked exactly like Aleister Crowley.

"Cici, Misaka Misaka yells!"

The girl didn't react to either of their voices, and Accelerator frowned. He let go of Last Order's hand. The clone's steps slowed to a stop, the child waiting at a safe distance as Accelerator approached the girl.

Accelerator's walk turned into a run as the girl walked closer and closer to the glowing building that had no points of entry or exit.

She finally halted, her figure tiny in comparison to the building she stood in front of. He could see her tilt her head upwards, eyes most likely scanning the infrastructure.

"Oi, Titania," he called out again, his footsteps faltering, before completely stopping several feet away from her. She didn't answer. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and tried again, "Ce… Celeste?"

Too slowly, she turned to look at him. Accelerator's eyes widened, his breath catching. Unconsciously he took a step back.

It wasn't his Celeste.

Cold purple eyes stared straight through him, deeming him insignificant. He reached out, mouth working, lips shaping her name, but no sound came out.

He could only stare in shock as she turned away from him once again, and his world spun out of control.

* * *

A/N: I just thought I should (finally) give you the meaning of Celeste and Accelerator's ringtones. Forgive me for any mistakes in translation. If you count two different dialects of Chinese, Japanese is my fourth language.

Accelerator's 99.9% Noisy on Celeste's phone: " _Tsuu ka yo, uttoushiin da. Tengoku nante doko ni mo nee darou. Tsuu ka yo, amattaruizee. Tamatta doro ga omokute. Yabai ne, massugu arukenee…"_

Translates to: _By the way, it's depressing. Something like heaven doesn't exist anywhere, right? By the way, it's sentimental/naïve. The mud I've collected is so heavy. Shit, (I) can't walk straight._

Celeste's ring tone (No Logic by Megurine Luka): " _Bokura no kono ichidou kiri no yume Douse itsuka owari ga kuru nara  
Ikiru koto o yametai toki dake tachi domatte kangaeru kurai de, ii yo ne_"

Translates to: _Since the end will eventually come for this dream we have once, only when we want to stop living, it's fine if we think about stopping/giving up, right?_


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thanks to Kira Minzu for following.

I was going to post the last few chapters next week, just to keep you in suspense, but then decided not to. :)

* * *

The moment her hand touched the building, the lights illuminating the Windowless Building flickered. Accelerator's eyes widened. He backed away one step and then another, and as the ground began to shake, he turned and ran, barely slowing to grab Last Order.

He threw her onto his shoulder and _moved_ as the ground cracked, fissures forming so quickly that it was almost as if they were chasing the retreating esper. He could bet that no place in Academy City would be safe, possibly no place in the world if the girl continued. But that only meant that he had to drop off Last Order somewhere relatively safe before he returned to where Celeste—no, Lucifer—was.

Because that _thing_ couldn't be anything but the fallen angel Celeste had summoned.

"Kusotare," Accelerator hissed and used Vector Change to add bursts of speed, his feet barely brushing against the ground before he shot forward again.

Surprisingly, after the initial yelp of surprise, Last Order didn't say anything. With her head level with Accelerator's waist, she could see the ground cracking and shaking, and she knew that if she squirmed or made any noise, she could cause the boy to accidentally drop her, and she would be dead.

Accelerator must have been moving more quickly than the cracks were, because eventually the noises grew softer and softer, and the violent tremors turned into soft vibrations. And then everything stopped, and everything was normal again. Only then did Accelerator stop and drop Last Order, none too gently, onto her behind.

"Stay here," Accelerator ordered, then hesitated, frowning. "No. If the ground starts shaking all the way out here, then run to where it isn't shaking. And stay away from anything that could fall on you."

"Where is Accelerator going, Misaka Misaka asks?"

"Back," he said.

Without waiting for her to say another word, he sped back the way he came, dodging falling materials and sidestepping to avoid the cracks in the earth. To tell the truth, he had no idea what he could do when he got back to Celeste. He didn't know magic, didn't know anything about angels. And if that _thing_ could actually scathe the Windowless Building, something even he could not accomplish, Accelerator wasn't sure he could do anything against it.

It didn't help that the monster was in Celeste's body. That only meant he had to somehow stop it without hurting her.

He snapped open his cellphone, his gaze flicking quickly between the road and the screen as he scrolled down quickly. "Tsuchimikado."

"Accelerator! What in the world is—"

"Lucifer is going berserk. Windowless Building. Now," Accelerator snapped, and without waiting for Tsuchimikado to agree or disagree, snapped the phone shut.

At least he had had the presence of mind in the last few days to acquire a cell phone and insert the numbers he thought he would need.

Tsuchimikado must have been close to the Windowless Building, or already heading that way when Accelerator called, because the two boys arrived at about the same time. And what they saw shocked them.

Fissures ran up the walls, smoke billowing from where the lights that didn't die out had exploded. The ground surrounding the building couldn't even be considered a proper flooring anymore. The proper term would have been 'beach', if there was an ocean nearby.

And somehow, the girl was glowing, the bright white telesma crackling with ebony and violet threads. The beam of light stretched up to dye the sky crimson, and the light around her body faded into a faint glow, jet black wings sprouting from her back. It almost looked as if she was opening the gates to hell, and legions of demons and undead would pour from the sky and earth any moment.

 _Almost_ probably wasn't the right word anymore.

A giant magic circle began to stretch over Academy City. A curse word escaped Tsuchimikado's mouth. Accelerator agreed, and let out a choice word of his own. That could _not_ be good.

"That could _not_ be good," a male's voice echoed their thoughts.

Tsuchimikado yelped even as Accelerator spun on his heel, but the snarl on his face faded as he found himself staring at Aleister Crowley. Or technically, he was staring at Aleister's chest, but he only had to tilt his head a little to see the man's face. Aleister stared up at the sky, a bemused expression on his face.

"You could leave the Windowless Building?" Tsuchimikado asked, bewildered.

"That's not the problem now," Accelerator rolled his eyes at the blonde before turning back to the older Crowley. "Can we do something about that?"

"Yes. We can," Aleister nodded. "We could do it the easy way or the hard way, even though both methods are difficult enough."

"And?" Accelerator asked impatiently.

"The easy way is to kill her," Aleister nodded to the hybrid of human and dark angel.

Accelerator stiffened. " _No_."

"Yes, I quite agree with that. I still need Lucifer, after all," Aleister said.

Accelerator let out a string of curses that told Aleister he didn't agree with the magician's reasoning. In spite of the situation, the corners of Aleister's mouth twitched upwards.

"The hard way is for you two to keep it distracted while I go find Index. There should be a grimoire somewhere that tells us how to seal Lucifer in a body," Aleister said, then hummed absently. "Now, which book was it…"

"Keep… _that_ distracted," Tsuchimikado said wryly. "Right. That should be easy. As easy as visually counting all the pixels on a computer screen."

"Yes. Easy," Aleister nodded with a half smile. "Now if you will excuse me."

The two boys stared at the man's back as he started walking away, almost as if he was taking a stroll through the park. Tsuchimikado got the feeling that Celeste's insanity also came from Aleister.

"Any ideas?" Tsuchimikado asked Accelerator.

"Just attack," the boy said curtly, and he shot forward.

Tsuchimikado gave a wordless shout, half frustrated and half irritated. "I'm a normal human right now, you know!"

Accelerator ran straight into a barrier several feet from the girl. He clenched his teeth, trying to force his way through with his ability. But tentacles of pain ran across his skin, and with a grunt of pain, he felt himself repelled.

Accelerator flipped so he landed feet first, the soles of his shoes sliding across the sandy ground. The girl never stopped murmuring, the magic circle above their heads growing bigger and bigger, until it suddenly stopped.

Tsuchimikado glanced nervously at the sky, hoping that it was Accelerator's attack that slowed down the spell, but he was disappointed. The circle had reached its goal, and began to glow. The sky shimmered, the crimson spreading into the horizon, a black spot becoming increasingly larger above the center of the magic circle.

Tsuchimikado scoffed. Lucifer the Light Bringer his arse. What kind of light bringer brought darkness anyways? The fallen angel was a destroyer now, and he had no doubt that the berserk fallen angel was aiming to destroy the world. It had already stolen a lot of the power stored in the Windowless Building, trying to use as much external energy as possible before turning to the life force of its host.

The blonde onmyouji watched helplessly as Accelerator attacked again and again, throwing everything he could get his hands on before finally resorting to physical attacks once again. He couldn't break past the barrier. And the girl never turned to look at him.

Aleister really needed to hurry up, Tsuchimikado thought as the dark spot grew to an alarming size, as if threatening to open a portal or simply swallow the planet.

If the greatest magician in the world couldn't do anything within the next few minutes, Earth was doomed for sure


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I found that every time I tried to type 'Index' I put down Last Order instead... 

* * *

"Index Librorum Prohibitorum," Aleister Crowley said.

"Wha—Who are you?" Index asked, heart pounding in her chest, the child terrified at the strange man who had entered Touma's apartment without her noticing.

"I require your cooperation," Aleister said, ignoring her question.

"No."

"Allow me to correct myself. That was not a request, but an order. And I do not need you, but rather the books within you," Aleister said, hand reaching out for the girl.

She squirmed back, gripping the sheets with her tiny fists. Where was Touma when she needed him? Index looked around desperately for a weapon. Magicians were bad people. Magicians who wanted the grimoires within her were pure evil.

" _Sleep_ ," Aleister lay a hand on her head, setting the compulsion on her the moment his hand came into contact with skin.

Index slumped, eyes fluttering shut despite her best attempts to keep them open. Aleister glanced at the girl for a moment, still trying to remember which grimoire contained information for sealing Lucifer. It was quite troublesome that the Red Dragon contained the spells required to summon and control the fallen angel, even to dismiss it. But the author or authors neglected to include the method of _sealing_ it.

He supposed he should think of it as he returned to the Windowless Building with Index in tow. Aleister glanced at the growing black spot in the sky. It didn't look like he had much time to work anyways.

Hmmm… Was it _The Book of the Secrets of Enoch_? _The True Form of Angels in Different Shapes_?

No, he was quite sure it was one of Solomon's books. But which one?

Aleister was still thinking when he arrived, barely registering Accelerator's futile attacks on Celeste's body.

"You might want to try mixing two spells," a new voice commented.

"I suppose. The _Lesser Key of Solomon_ and the _Testament of Solomon_ , I suppose," Aleister replied, not even fazed at Aiwass' sudden appearance.

"When I said I would appear again when something interesting happens, I didn't expect it to be this soon," Aiwass said, staring up at the black hole.

"Life is always interesting in Academy City," Aleister told him, indirectly quoting the saying that the citizens of the scientific city always used when something strange occurred.

The two watched the fight—if it could even be called one, considering how one sided it was—for a long moment, in a somewhat philosophical mood. They already knew it was impossible to simply use the spell on the girl, even without the complications of creating a new spell out of two old ones. Lucifer had to be bound and the barrier around it broken through before Aleister performed the spell, in order for it to affect the fallen angel.

Aleister sighed. "If only Accelerator would use his angel form…"

"He will not hurt the girl. He is not like you," Aiwass countered, voice mild.

"Accelerator, please use your angel form," Aleister called out as Accelerator once again slid back, his attack bouncing harmlessly off the fallen angel's barrier.

" _Hah?!_ Hell no!"

"Just get past the barrier and restrain her. I am not asking you to harm her," Aleister said patiently.

Accelerator visibly hesitated. He glanced at Tsuchimikado, as if asking the more trustworthy magician if he could listen to a complete asshole like Aleister. The blonde smiled helplessly and shrugged, before nodding. Not completely satisfied, Accelerator raised an eyebrow at Aiwass—when had it appeared anyways?—and Aiwass nodded in agreement.

Accelerator sighed, aggravated. It wasn't like he could activate and deactivate those wings at will. But apparently Aiwass realized that, because an icy hand fell onto Accelerator's back as the boy turned around, the light touch almost painful even through the shirt. Accelerator stiffened, and suddenly liquid fire ran through his veins. His mouth opened in a silent gasp, his eyes wide from the strange sensation. It was painful, yet it wasn't pain.

Out of the back of his mind, he realized this was what it must feel like to have the wings forced out rather than him using them naturally. When the burning finally died down, he glanced back to see the angel wings that were becoming so familiar, pure white just like the last time he used them. He shifted them experimentally, and smirked.

And once again, he _moved_. This time he clashed with the protective barrier wings first. He was rewarded with a shocked look, purple eyes wide as they turned to face him. Then her eyes narrowed. Senseless words—to him, at least—spewed out of her mouth faster and faster. He didn't have to look up to know the spell was progressing at a much quicker rate than before.

Accelerator bit down on his lip, scowling furiously as he gave one last spurt. Something seemed to shatter, and he was through. He reached out, grabbing the girl's arms to keep her from moving and repelling him with a new barrier.

"Good. Get out of my way and keep her still," Aleister's voice said.

Accelerator shifted, turning her so her back once again faced Aleister. He hoped the magic would work even through the black wings on her back, but it seemed like Aleister didn't think there would be a problem, because the irritating half smirk formed on his lips.

The man dropped Index onto her feet and placed a hand over her closed eyes, his other arm around her waist to keep her standing.

" _Grimoires awaken_ ," Aleister commanded. " _The seal of Lucifer_."

Index began to speak, her monotonous voice resembling that of a mechanical doll. Aleister cocked his head, eyes closed, listening for a long moment. And when his eyes snapped open, his voice droned in, and the masculine and feminine voices wove the spell.

Accelerator couldn't help but shudder when a magic circle formed under his feet, placing the two pairs of male and female within the area. Celeste screamed and began to struggle, and Accelerator gritted his teeth, tightening his grip until he knew her pale skin would bruise. He had to remind himself that it wasn't Celeste, it was Lucifer.

Tsuchimikado watched from outside the circle, feeling a little pity for Accelerator in the situation. If it had been his precious little sister screaming like that, he would have let go for sure. He found a new admiration and respect growing for the white haired boy. A few seconds into the spell, Tsuchimikado glanced up, and felt his body sag with relief to see the magic circle fading, the sky returning to a normal color.

The lights in front of him slowly faded as Aleister and Index completed the spell—Tsuchimikado wondered if Touma would hit him if he found out he had let someone use Index and the grimoires inside her—and the magic circle under their feet shone powerfully one last time before completely dying out. The remnants still remained on the sand though, as if scorched in, and Tsuchimikado found himself thinking they were lucky that it was sand and easily scattered instead of cement or tar.

He glanced to the side, to see that Aiwass had vanished now that everything interesting had stopped. His lips quirked.

"After this, I will not be capable of leaving the Building for a long time," Aleister said. "But I should not need to. The spell is done. Lucifer is _sealed_ inside her. It is still there, but will not come out on its own again. Now it is up to her whether she awakens or not."

Accelerator nodded absently, only a quarter of his mind paying attention to the magician. His eyes were trained on the girl slumped in his arms, once again unconscious.

She would wake up. Celeste Crowley was strong. She _had_ to wake up.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Well, this is the end. I hope you all enjoyed the series. And since I don't want to ruin the ending with an author's note, for those who are curious, the 'chickens will fly' thing refers to Cursed Heir chapter 5.

* * *

Misaka Mikoto walked through the hallways of the hospital. Along with dozens of other people, Saten had been unlucky enough to be caught in the massive earthquake that happened a few days ago. Misaka was suspicious about that, since earthquakes didn't make explosion sounds or cause bright lights to shoot into the sky, but she couldn't say anything. No, she didn't want to say anything. Everything seemed to be over, so she had no intentions of getting involved.

It was kind of depressing walking through a hospital, every room filled to the brim. She never liked hospitals, and had always considered them bad places. Nobody could blame her, considering that she was tricked into giving her DNA for the Sisters' experiments by a doctor, but at the same time, she had discovered that hospitals weren't the place people went to prolong their suffering before they died. The clones had extended their lifespans, and Heaven Canceller had saved many lives. Even so, she didn't like entering a hospital alone, no matter how many times she had done it in the past.

Originally, Kuroko and Uiharu wanted the three to meet outside Saten's hospital room together, but at the last minute, Judgement work was extended. They should have expected it, really. After major events Judgement always had extra work, helping people and reorganizing re-organizing everything. So instead of letting the day's visiting hours pass without anybody cheering up their level zero friend, they told Misaka to go ahead, and they would catch up later. If they could.

A familiar face flashed by. Misaka froze before she could turn the corner, ducking back slightly to hide in the shadows. It couldn't be…

Slowly, cautiously, she peered out from behind the corner, only to gasp and duck back behind the wall, eyes wide and heart racing. What was _he_ doing there? It wasn't like _he_ had anybody he cared about enough to visit them in the hospital.

"Misaka-san?" Heaven Canceller queried.

Misaka yelped, nearly jumping out of her skin as she spun around. When she saw the frog-like doctor, a brow raised in confusion, she relaxed. He really scared her, coming up behind her like that. But then again, she _was_ blocking the stairway.

"H-hello," Misaka smiled awkwardly.

Somehow seeing the face that looked so much like gekota calmed her down a little.

She bit her lip and stepped quietly out from her hiding place, eyes trained on Accelerator's retreating back. She really hoped he wouldn't turn around and see her. The level five had developed a healthy fear of the white haired boy since the Level Six Project, and he deflected her strongest move without blinking. His merciless, sadistic way of killing didn't help her like him any better either.

For a moment, she wished Saten's room wasn't in the direction the older boy was heading in, just so she could get as far from him as possible. But alas, wishes didn't come true so easily, and Misaka resorted to padding along behind him, keeping a safe distance as she crossed her fingers, praying he wouldn't look behind him.

And then he stopped.

Misaka's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she stopped short, and she almost forgot how to breathe. She merely stood in the middle of the brightly lit hallways, a splash of various shades of beige and brown standing out amongst all the white.

But Accelerator never looked her way. He stood staring at the door, and Misaka started to relax, her expression a mixture of curiosity and pity. She never thought she would see Accelerator with that look in his eyes, in his face. He looked almost… desperate. Like he was already grieving someone he cared about, yet still refusing to let go of the possibility that he might not lose them.

It took her a few seconds before she realized who it could be.

Finally he heaved a heavy sigh and opened the door with a soft click of the knob, and walked in. Misaka wondered if he noticed he hadn't closed the door behind him, but decided that he probably didn't. She walked forward, hesitating for a moment, contemplating closing the door to give him privacy.

Misaka took a step into the room—

"Wake up. _Please_ ," Accelerator murmured, voice breaking.

She froze, hand on the knob. He wouldn't see her, she knew. She couldn't see him from behind the wall, the tiny hall between the door and the open room existing to provide patients with a semblance of comforting seclusion, as if they were in their own room rather than a hospital. The heavy smell of disinfectant destroyed that illusion, of course, but every little thing that helped patients relaxed was good.

Misaka knew it was wrong, but she stuck her head out quickly, catching a glimpse of the boy she had once thought heartless with a pained expression, his forehead pressed to that of the sleeping girl, allowing himself the moment of weakness he would _never_ have showed anybody.

Immediately Misaka felt guilty for intruding into a moment like this, and she retreated, leaving the door ajar so she would not disturb him with the faint click of the door shutting.

Accelerator never noticed the other level five come and go. He came every day, hoped every day that whatever Aleister had done would work, and she would wake up as herself and not whatever that purple eyed being had been.

"Kusotare, _wake up_ , idiot," Accelerator said as he distanced himself from her, opting to sit at her bedside as he usually did. "I'm going to kill Tsuchimikado and Aleister if you don't."

Silence.

"I'll buy you ten whole cakes if you wake up," Accelerator offered, trying a bribe since the threat didn't work.

"Hmm. Chocolate," a voice not his own said.

Accelerator's eyes widened and he practically leapt out of his seat, chair clattering to the floor. He didn't notice. And he didn't really notice the grin spreading across his face either.

"Of all the things that would wake you up… You're an idiot," he scolded, but his heart wasn't in it.

Her eyes opened—pale green again, he thought with relief—and she blinked twice before her gaze focused on him. Her eyes widened.

"You… came?" Celeste managed to say, shocked.

"Hah? Of course, idiot!"

Accelerator forced himself to tone down his grin. A toothy smirk was the farthest he could go. If he tried to remove his smile completely, his facial muscles would probably tear apart with the conflict between turning his lips up and keeping a stoic expression.

But he didn't have much time to focus on that. He only had time to see the tears well up in her eyes before she threw herself at him as best she could, burying her face in his chest and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Shiro-chan!"

He felt her body tremble, felt a damp spot grow on his shirt. It _hurt_. He never knew what to do with crying girls. Hell, she had never cried. Not when he was mean to her, not when he hurt her way back in elementary school, not even when she was so close to dying.

"What are you sorry for, dumbass."

"B-because I w-wouldn't choose between you and onii-chan!"

It took a moment for him to realize she was talking about her choice between waiting for him at home and going out to what she probably knew was suicide for Aleister. He sighed. She had lived all her life for Aleister. He knew that too well by now. The idiot girl would tear herself into pieces trying to make both of them happy. Quite literally too, since she had almost died once because she could no longer heal herself after healing him, and once again when she became Lucifer's core.

"It's done. Forget it," he said gruffly.

"I really care about onii-chan, no matter how much of an ass he is sometimes. I would do anything to further his goals," Celeste sobbed, fingers clenching the material of his shirt. "But I also really really really really love Shiro-chan. If anyone _hurt_ you I would…"

"It's _done_. _Forget it_ ," Accelerator repeated, insistent.

"B-but—"

"Celeste, _forget it_ ," Accelerator growled, but his arms snaking around her shoulders softened the harsh tone. "I _know_. Now stop apologizing before I smack you."

"Forgive me?" She pleaded, separating her face from his shirt to stare up at him with watery eyes.

"Idiot," he sighed. "Stop crying. You're not supposed to cry. You're supposed to smile all the time like a brainless idiot."

She giggled through her tears, and his heart soared at the sound. "So you like my smile?"

"Tch," he said, shoving her face back against him so she wouldn't see the dust of pink on his cheeks. "Yeah, whatever."

She laughed again, voice muffled by his shirt.

Jeez. Stupid girl. Forcing him to say embarrassing things all the time… He was sure chickens were flying out there somewhere.

Still, no matter how much she made him humiliate himself in front of her, he preferred this to her being unconscious, teetering between life and death. His fingers ran through her hair absently.

His Celeste was back. And Accelerator smiled.


	17. Epilogue

A/N: A Certain Really Short Epilogue. I really don't know how to write this longer without making Accelerator really out of character. All that fluff in the story already seemed OOC.

* * *

" _WHAT_?!"

Accelerator winced at the overly sharp shout of shock and outrage. He probably shouldn't have told her he actually approached Aleister, and that he had originally intended to kill the man. In hindsight—or rather as he studied the expression on her face—telling her was a _really_ bad idea.

"I didn't kill him," Accelerator muttered.

He _knew_ he looked like a child getting scolded after stealing cookies. Shifting his weight, staring at the ground, stealing glances at the girl reprimanding him…

How in the world could somebody be so energetic after getting out of the hospital?

" _That's not the point_!" Celeste huffed, throwing up her arms in exasperation.

Accelerator would forever swear he did _not_ pout at her. Celeste looked him over and sighed. Accelerator just didn't get that either one of them—or in worst case scenario, _both_ of them—could have died from the encounter if Accelerator had decided to attack. She sighed again and reached out to run her fingers through his hair.

Surprised at the sudden touch, Accelerator glanced up, red eyes meeting pale lavender ones before he turned his gaze again. The color was a remnant of Lucifer's existence within her, or perhaps a sign that she still had the fallen angel sealed inside. Accelerator felt his eyebrows furrow, his teeth chewing at his bottom lip. He couldn't do anything back then except restrain her. He wasn't there when she went to summon the fallen angel, and he wasn't there when she fell unconscious. And then she had to go and _lose_ herself…

Suddenly annoyed, her fingers reached his ears and _twisted_. Accelerator yelped, wide eyes once again meeting hers. This time he didn't look away.

"What the hell was that for?" Accelerator demanded.

"No matter how cute that expression is, I would like you to _stop_ looking like a kicked puppy right now," Celeste told him, frowning.

"I do _not_!" Accelerator retorted. And as an afterthought, added, "And I'm _not_ cute."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm _not_!"

"Yes, yes. You're not cute," Celeste rolled her eyes, muttering, "Stupid adorable Shiro-chan."

He was quite sure he wasn't supposed to hear that last part, but he did anyways. But instead of feeling irritated, his heart skipped a beat. She just sounded so _cute_ saying that.

Still, he would _not_ apologize for wanting to kill Aleister. The magician had hurt both Last Order and Celeste several times, and the boy would never forgive the man for it. He would never apologize no matter how many times she looked like—

Oh hell no.

Do _not_ look at him like that…

…Please?

 _Don't_ give him that face…

Oh shit.

"Sorry," Accelerator muttered. "I was just really pissed off. But he looked so much like you that I couldn't attack him anyways…"

Celeste stared at him for a moment, shocked. Accelerator actually _apologized_. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Who are you and what did you do to my Shiro-chan?"

"The hell?!"

"But I guess I should apologize too—"

" _No_ ," Accelerator growled, frowning. "You apologized enough in the hospital. If I hear those words come out of that mouth again, I'll tape it shut."

Celeste cocked her head, watching him for a moment, thinking. And when her lips twisted into a mischievous smirk, Accelerator felt his feet take a step back, and another, until he was trapped between her and the wall.

"Isn't there a better way to keep me quiet?" Celeste asked.

Accelerator supposed it was a rhetorical question. There were so many ways that he couldn't possibly guess—Oh. Ohhh.

He pulled her closer this time instead of retreating, and with a smirk of his own, trapped _her_ against the wall, lips meeting hers. The slow kiss heated up, and suddenly his tongue was in her mouth and her shirt had disappeared somewhere. Accelerator felt her hands roam his bare skin, felt silk skin beneath his own.

"A-ah!"

The small moan, so foreign from her mouth, drove him nearly insane. He attacked her with a new fury, indulging in the mewling sounds that escaped her throat. Accelerator nipped her throat, smirking against her skin at the gasp. He looked up to see Celeste glaring down at him, only for her head to dive down and _bite_ down at the junction between his neck and shoulder. He gaped at her when she retreated with a smug expression.

Accelerator scowled and grabbed her wrist, barely sparing a glance to make sure her front door was locked. She had fixed her apartment some time, which was good, since he was sure he didn't want this to happen in _Yomikawa_ 's place of all things, where they could be interrupted at any time. Accelerator dragged her to her bedroom—not that she was resisting—and slammed the door behind them.

 _Screw_ being underage.


End file.
